WASHINGTON — A New Jersey man who wore a jacket with his last name and company phone number on it to the U.S. Capitol was arrested this week on charges related to the Jan. 6 riot.
Robert Coppotelli, of Toms River, was charged Friday with four misdemeanor counts for allegedly unlawfully entering the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door approximately 10 minutes after the first breach of the building. According to charging documents, Coppotelli walked through the building to the Crypt and then exited by climbing out of a broken window roughly 12 minutes after he entered.
Federal investigators said they received a tip in July 2021 identifying Coppotelli inside the Capitol thanks to a work jacket he was wearing with a “Coppotelli Heavy Equipment Sales & Services” logo and the phone number of the business. They determined Coppotelli lived at the same address in News Jersey as the registered address of the business.
Court documents show Coppotelli was arrested Wednesday in D.C. He was assigned to make an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui in D.C. District Court.
Last month, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves urged the public to continue helping federal investigator identify suspects in the ongoing Jan. 6 investigation. Graves said his department was still seeking in particular to identify roughly 80 individuals believed to have assaulted police during the riot.
In the 37 months since the Capitol riot, more than 1,300 defendants have been charged with crimes ranging from entering a restricted area to seditious conspiracy. Approximately 900 defendants have now pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.