A well-known Nazi sympathizer who breached the U.S. Capitol on January 6 filed new motions seeking his release on Friday. But the Justice Department says that he poses an ongoing threat to the Jewish residents near where he resides in New Jersey and should remain behind bars.
According to CNN, Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 30, is currently awaiting trial on seven criminal accounts, including obstructing congressional proceedings, civil disorder, and disorderly conduct in the Capitol. He has pleaded not guilty. Last month, a judge ordered him to remain in jail while awaiting trial.
Federal prosecutors told the judge that Hale-Cusanelli poses a danger to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood, near the Navy base where he worked before his arrest. At previous hearings, prosecutors have brought up his earlier run-ins with Jewish residents in the area, resulting in police reports and allegations of harassment and doxing.
“Defendant poses a more localized threat to the community, particularly the Hassidic community in Lakewood, New Jersey,” the prosecution wrote in a court filing. “Defendant has demonstrated specific animosity towards the Jewish population and expressed a desire to commit violence against Jewish people.”
Judge Trevor N. McFadden has not yet ruled on Hale-Cusanelli’s latest request for release.
Hale-Cusanelli has maintained that he is not a Nazi-sympathizer, including during his interviews with the FBI. His attorneys have also insisted that he is not affiliated with any White supremacist organizations.
