Ex-Cop Charged In Capitol Riot Ordered 34 Guns After He Was Barred From Owning Guns: FBI

A former Virginia police officer charged in a felony indictment in the U.S. Capitol insurrection paid to purchase at least 34 guns after he was released under orders that he not possess any firearms, according to a new court motion filed against him.

Besides ordering the 34 guns online, Thomas Robertson also had a loaded M4 rifle, a large amount of ammunition and a partially assembled pipe bomb when authorities searched his home, stated the court document filed this week in the District of Columbia, which argues that Robertson’s bail should be revoked and he should be locked up, BuzzFeed was the first to report. 

Prosecutors pointed to Robertson’s alleged flouting of the court’s order barring him from possessing guns to argue that he’s a danger to the public and should be jailed before his trial.

His “conduct, coupled with his calls for future violence, shows that no condition or combination of conditions can adequately protect the public from the defendant, and warrants immediate action by the court through the issuance of an arrest warrant,” prosecutors argued in the motion.

Robertson was a sergeant with the Rocky Mount Police Department in Virginia until he was fired for his alleged role in the Capitol riot. He has pleaded not guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, among other charges.

The search of Robertson’s home was initiated after a review of his emails by the FBI earlier this year led to records of online gun orders, the court document notes. Besides a judge’s order barring Robertson from gun possession, the court action also said that it’s a “crime for anyone under felony indictment to ship, transport or receive firearms or ammunition in interstate ... commerce.”

Besides the gun orders, M4 rifle and ammo, the FBI also found a box labeled “booby trap” in his home, according to the affidavit. Inside was a “metal pipe with two ends caps, with a fuse inserted into a hole,” prosecutors wrote. “Although this device did not contain explosive powder, such powder was found nearby.”

Robertson’s 34 new guns were being held for him to pick up at a Virginia gun store, according to the court filing. The store owner told FBI agents that Robertson had been in the store to “handle” the firearms, according to prosecutors.

It reportedly wasn’t the first time Robertson was accused of ignoring the court order not to possess firearms. After his arrest, Robertson was ordered to remove any firearms from his home within 48 hours. But four days after the order, FBI agents found eight guns and significant amounts of ammunition in his home, according to an FBI affidavit.

Robertson’s attorney didn’t immediately return a request from HuffPost to comment.