NJ Man Charged With Destroying Evidence He Breached U.S. Capitol

LITTLE FERRY, NJ — A man from Little Ferry was arrested last Thursday and charged with crimes related to the Capitol riots, on Jan. 6, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office from the District of Columbia.

The man is James Breheny, 61, also known as Seamus Evers, from Little Ferry. He was accused of storming the Capitol, making false statements to investigators, and attempting to delete evidence from his phone to avoid prosecution.

Law enforcement identified Breheny in publicly available videos standing close to ongoing violence during the storming of the Capitol and found photos and text messages on his phone implying he willingly entered the building.

Breheny was interviewed by law enforcement on Jan. 14 and admitted that he entered the Capitol, but said he didn't know who opened the doors or how they did it, and that he was unwillingly pushed in by the surge of people storming the building, making it about 25 feet inside, according to an affidavit by an FBI Special Agent.

The agent claims that video evidence rebuts Breheny's testimony. He was identified in multiple videos among the crowds that were assaulting law enforcement with flagpoles, projectiles, and chemical irritants.

"It is unreasonable that any individual entering the building could believe that he had a lawful right to enter," the document states.

FBI Newark seized Breheny's phone on Jan. 20, with a search warrant, and found photos and text messages Breheny sent bragging about entering the Capitol.

"I breached the Capitol door," of them said. "Yup. Made it in [laughing emoji]," another read.

Law enforcement also found texts sent to Breheny warning him against posting on social media.

"They're going through social media looking at pictures to try to identify and prosecute anyone in the Capitol building," one text said.

The FBI believes Breheny deleted his own Facebook account by the Alias "Seamus Evers," based on evidence found on the phone, and that he posted about his intent to "replace" the government.

"We wanted access to the Capitol to watch the vote and have our voices heard. They put barricades up. It's our house not theirs," a Facebook post from Jan. 6 said.

Breheny is part of a group called The Oath Keepers, which believes that the federal government has been co-opted by a cabal of elites actively trying to strip American citizens of their rights, according to officials. He is listed as the Bergen County Coordinator.

The Little Ferry man invited the leader of the Oath Keepers to a meeting happening on Jan. 3 with leaders only and "no cell phones," to prepare for the Jan. 6 rally, according to the criminal affidavit.

Breheny now faces multiple charges, including violent entry and disorderly conduct, entering and remaining in a restricted building with intent to disrupt government, obstruction of an official proceeding, and corruptly altering, destroying, or concealing evidence.