An Imperial Beach man who allegedly scaled the U.S. Capitol building with a rope on Jan. 6, 2021, has been indicted on felony and misdemeanor charges.
Joshua Kaleb Youngerman, 23, is accused of being a member of a California-based group that referred to themselves as “The California Patriots-DC Brigade” or “DC Brigade,” which coordinated over social media to travel to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.
According to the Department of Justice, the group’s stated description on the Telegram messaging service was “This group will serve as the Comms for able bodied individuals that are going to DC on Jan 6. Many of us have not met before and we are all ready and willing to be engaged in this fight. We will come together for this moment that we are called upon.”
On Jan. 6, Youngerman was allegedly spotted on surveillance footage climbing a rope up the northwest wall of the Capitol building.
After Jan. 6, he allegedly posted on social media, “I am in full support of storming and occupying the Capital from the inside and out. That was the original intent for many. We came to claim back our house.”
Youngerman was charged last year with five misdemeanors, but a superseding indictment filed earlier this week includes a felony count of obstructing an official proceeding.
The Department of Justice said in a statement that more than 1,387 people — including several with San Diego County ties — have been charged with crimes related to the U.S. Capitol breach, and the investigation into the events of Jan. 6 remain ongoing.
