Illinois Couple Accused In Deadly Capitol Riot Referenced QAnon

QUINCY, IL — An Illinois couple who boasted about being inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and posted photos of themselves there on social media, has been arrested, the FBI said.

Jason, 40, and Christina Gerding, 46 of Quincy, are accused of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

An 11-page federal arrest warrant/complaint dated Jan. 21 said the Gerdings are the first Illinois residents to be arrested who directly reference QAnon, a loosely based network of people who believe in a number of conspiracy theories, including a baseless claim that former President Donald Trump is waging battle against a "deep state" satanic child-sex trafficking ring.

The Gerdings are alleged to have participated in the storming of the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress certifying the electoral vote count of the Nov. 3 presidential election. The FBI said they received “numerous tips” from the public identifying Jason and Christina Gerding after pictures of the couple attired in pro-Trump MAGA gear inside the Capitol appeared on Jason’s Twitter account.

On Dec. 21, a tweet from a public Twitter account the FBI said belongs to Jason Gerding asked for suggestions for a hotel to stay at near the Jan. 6 Save America rally. The account's banner read, “We the People Have Woken,” and included a picture of then-President Donald Trump.

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“ANONS … I need help just booked a flight to dc forth the 6th. Best place to stay close to rally," Gerding allegedly tweeted.

A few days later, on Dec. 26, the FBI said he followed up with: "So much disinformation coming out of I dk [don’t know] what is real what is fake. I trust the plan … I’ll be in DC Jan 6th, but my head is starting to hurt."

Following a fiery rally in the Ellipse that featured Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Trump’s personal attorney, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, attendees marched toward the U.S. Capitol.

On Jan. 6, a photo showing the Gerdings presumably inside the Capitol appeared on Twitter. The FBI said the couple appeared to be standing in front of a painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, cataloged on the Architecture of the Capitol website.

A few days later on Jan. 8, another Twitter user posted a message stating, “Here’s 2 people from Quincy who took part in the Captial [sic] Hill insurgance [sic]!!!” according to the federal complaint.

Attached to that message was an image of a group conversation the FBI said appeared on a Facebook page belonging to Christina Gerding. In the conversation, according to the FBI, Christine Gerding wrote: “Quincy made it inside,” while another member of the group commented, “hope they lock yours [sic] a-- up.”

According to the FBI, Christina responded, “well since they let us inside, opened the door for us I think I’ll be just fine.”

In another photo from Jan. 6, found on a Facebook page the FBI said belonged to Jason Gerding, a bust of George Washington outside the House chamber can be seen wearing a red Trump cap. A Trump-face mask lies on the sculpture's base.

An FBI search of Jason Gerding's Twitter account is also alleged to have produced a picture from Dec. 18 of President Abraham Lincoln with the statement: "We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."

According to the FBI, a witness that reached out to law enforcement said they had known Christina Gerding for a year and had numerous interactions with her. The witness confirmed the photo of Christina inside the Capitol, stating that the couple lived in Quincy.

Adams County court records showthat Jason Gerding was charged with financial exploitation of an elder in 2014. According to news reports, Gerding was accused of writing nearly $7,000 worth of checks from his mother’s account while he had her power of attorney. The charges were later dropped.

Sgt. Nathan Elbus, of the Quincy Police Department, confirmed it was the same person. He said that local police assisted in Jason and Christina Gerding’s arrest on Jan. 28.

Earlier this month, President Trump was impeached a second time by the U.S. House of Representatives on charges that he incited the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol during the certification of the electoral vote. His trial is set to begin in two weeks.