Ex-Monmouth Corrections Officer Indicted On Capitol Riot Charges

MONMOUTH COUNTY - A former Monmouth County corrections officer has been indicted on several federal crimes in connection to the January Capitol Hill insurrection in Washington DC.

Marissa Suarez, a county correctional police officer since 2019, reportedly took an emergency holiday from work to attend the events. Suarez resigned following her arrest, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden told Patch in a statement in January.

"A violation of federal or state law of any kind is unacceptable, particularly from a sworn member of law enforcement whose role is to protect and serve," said Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden in a statement earlier this year."Actions have consequences and that applies to those who participated in the peaceful protests that resulted in violence at the Capitol."

Suarez, along with friend Patricia Todisco, was indicted earlier this month by a grand jury on five crimes, including knowingly entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and obstructing a proceeding.

Todisco was additionally indicted on a charge accusing her of being in a room belonging to a committee member or officer. According to FBI documents, Todisco was recorded in video footage to be inside Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley’s damaged office.

Several messages that the FBI retrieved from Suarez’s phone read: “Sooo we’ve stormed Capitol Hill lol,” “We’re inside,” and “Everyone stormed the capitol lol.”

“When we found out [Pence] f---ed us, we all stormed the Capitol building and everyone forced entry and started breaking shit.. it was a like a scene out of a movie,” another message from Jan. 7 reads.

14 out of hundreds of individuals charged in the Capitol riots are from New Jersey, including a Colts Neck military contractor, a Medford anti-vax activist and a ‘dating strategist’ from Haddonfield.

Here is what happened, according to the affidavit:

• On January 12th, FBI Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force received information concerning Suarez's alleged participation in the Capitol Protest from the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office. Specifically, the MCSO informed the FBI that the Union Beach Police Department received a report from a witness about Suarez's activities during the attack on the Capitol, including several video clips.
• A subsequent investigation by law enforcement revealed that on Wednesday, January 6th, Suarez was scheduled to work at the MCCF, but she used an emergency holiday and was absent from work.
• The witness was personally known to Suarez and maintained a relationship for several years. Recently, the relationship between them became strained but the two still communicated.
• Based on information in the database compiled by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, law enforcement confirmed Suarez is the lessee of a silver 2019 Jeep Wrangler. Law enforcement further checked law enforcement databases, which showed the license plate of the vehicle was recorded traveling a route consistent with travel to Washington DC.
• Videos submitted to law enforcement by the witness depict various moments from the attack on the Capitol. Nearly all the videos were taken while the camera was moving and being held at or near the height of the heads of others in the crowd.
• While the videos do not show Suarez's face, at least one of the videos shows a woman later identified as Patricia Todisco who appears to have traveled with Suarez to Washington, DC on January 6, 2021.
• Screenshots from one video, which appears to have been filmed at the Senate Wing door entrance in the Capitol are below, show Todisco. Additionally, a woman's voice can be heard on the videos commenting on the events captured.
• On several occasions, the woman's voice calls Todisco by name. Both the witness, as well as an MCSO lieutenant who trained Suarez and has spent numerous hours with her, have identified the woman's voice on the videos as belonging to Suarez.
• The videos place Suarez and Todisco at the Capitol Protest. Both women were present at the demonstrations outside of the US Capitol building, as well as inside the Capitol building once the crowd had forced its way inside.
• In one of the videos, filmed outside the Capitol building, the crowd is seen forcing its way into the building. Suarez can be heard saying "oh Trish, oh s**t, oh s**t, yo, this is what they f***g wanted, this is what they f***g wanted, this is what they get."
• In another video, which captured Todisco also filming and/or photographing the scene with what appears to be a cellular device, Suarez can be heard saying "the cops are right there. The cops are right there."
• In another video, which Suarez filmed inside the Capitol building, she can be heard yelling, "Our house!" along with other protestors and coughing.
• In addition to the videos and the security footage, text messages sent from Suarez's cellular phone on January 6 and January 7 further establish that Suarez and Todisco were inside the US Capitol building during the demonstrations.
• For example, Suarez wrote the following on January 6th: "Sooo we've stormed Capitol Hill lol" and "Everyone stormed the capitol lol."
• Suarez also wrote: "When we found out pence f***d us, we all stormed the Capitol building and everyone forced entry and started breaking s**t.. it was a like a scene out of a movie" and "The cops were spraying people when we went in so we were coughing like crazy shortly after that lol."