NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A Long Island MTA employee and his wife were charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct on Thursday after an FBI investigation linked them to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Kevin Moore, a structure maintainer for the MTA, and his wife, Carol Moore, from Massapequa, were arrested on Wednesday and appeared in court on Thursday to face charges in connection with the riot. The investigation connected them through photographic evidence, social media posts, and a Venmo transaction. They were both released without bail.
According to the FBI, records show that Kevin was absent from work from Jan. 1-7, 2021.
"This employee took the day off and now he has to answer for what he may have done in D.C. on that day." MTA Communications Director Tim Minton told 1010 WINS.
An investigation began when a tipster contacted the FBI on Oct. 18, 2021, reporting that Carol and Kevin had entered the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. The tipster said that the Moores allegedly had sent two text message images from that day: one showing them inside the Capitol with SWAT members, and another showing them waving a Trump flag over the Capitol stairs, according to court documents.
The FBI requested the images, but the tipster did not send them, fearing it would reveal their identity.
After reviewing driver’s license photos of the Moores, the FBI agent assigned to the case was able to identify them in media from the “Million MAGA March '' in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 12, 2020, where Carol was allegedly seen with an American flag draped over her shoulders and carrying a “Re-Elect Trump” flag.
The agent also identified the Moores in video footage from the Jan. 5, 2021, Rally for Revival in Washington, D.C. On the same day, Carol allegedly posted a photo of herself and Kevin at the rally to her now-suspended Twitter account, according to court documents. The agent also identified the couple in Facebook video posts and media footage from that day.
On the morning of the riot, the Moores allegedly attended former President Donald Trump’s speech at the Ellipse, according to court documents. Carol is seen with a tan jacket with white fur trim, a red cap, black leggings, and had a blue Trump flag tied around her neck. Kevin wore a white cap, a brown hooded jacket, blue jeans, and carried a “Re-Elect Trump” flag matching the one Carol carried on Dec. 12, 2020.
During the riot, security camera footage showed the couple allegedly enter the U.S. Capitol through the Senate Wing door at around 3:12 p.m.
A couple of minutes later, the couple allegedly can be seen passing a cell phone between themselves, taking photographs of other rioters and themselves with the U.S. Capitol Police in the background dressed in riot gear.
After the visual investigation, the FBI interviewed someone who regularly spoke with the couple. This person identified them from photos taken on Jan. 6, 2021. They also mentioned that Kevin allegedly had told them, “something big is coming” before the riot, according to court documents.
Additionally, a Venmo transaction from Carol’s account on the day of the riot was traced to an IP address in Washington, D.C.
John Carman, a lawyer representing the Moores, did not dispute the couple’s presence at the Capitol that day, according to The New York Times. In an email, he wrote that they were there to lawfully express “their genuine concerns about the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.” He also said Kevin was “giving aid to others who had been sprayed with Mace.”
Over 1,350 individuals have faced federal charges in connection with the Capitol riot. Of these, more than 850 have been sentenced, with approximately two-thirds being incarcerated for periods ranging from a few days to 22 years.