Crest Hill Couple, John And Amy Schubert, Charged In U.S. Capitol Breach
By Charlie De Mar, Todd Feurer, Megan Hickey
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A southwest suburban couple was arrested on federal charges on Monday, accused of taking part in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
John and Amy Schubert, of Crest Hill, each face two counts of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry, and two counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
According to the charges, the FBI received an anonymous tip on March 2, regarding YouTube video titled "The Insurrection of The United States Capitol," showing a woman wearing a black jacket with the text "Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 422 Joliet IL."
The FBI was able to use geolocation data to identify six Google accounts associated with the 815 area code, where Joliet is located, two of them belonging to women, including Amy Schubert's Google account, according to the charges. Agents then tracked down Amy Schubert's Facebook account and Illinois Secretary of State records, and matched her Facebook pictures and driver's license photo with the images of the woman in the video.
After obtaining a search warrant for her Google account, the feds were able to confirm her phone pinged at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and found images and videos on her phone showing her husband, John, inside the Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6. The feds matched those images with photos of John Schubert from his wife's Facebook account and his Illinois driver's license photo.
As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported, the Schuberts live in a house rural Crest Hill with an American flag out front.
"My neighbors came out in handcuffs and got a the vehicle," said neighbor Dale Jacobs.
Jacobs says local and federal officers entered the Schuberts' home early Monday morning.
"There was nothing that led on that he was thinking about going there," Jacobs said.
One neighbor said the Schuberts had been the subject of complaints before.
"They posted Trump signs multiple times on this public property, and we called multiple times to get them to take it down," the woman said.
Jacobs added, "You know, it's not surprising some people were really upset and wanted to go to a rally, and then wanted to go protest."
CBS 2's De Mar tried talking with the couple about the trip to D.C. and the charges, but nobody came to the door.
The Schuberts made their first court appearance by phone on Monday.
Both Schuberts were released on $10,000 recognizance bonds, meaning they only must pay that amount if they miss any required court dates. They were ordered to surrender their passports and any firearms they own, to submit DNA samples, and to regularly report to the court's pretrial service office as they await trial.
At least 11 other people from Illinois now face federal charges in connection to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, according to published reports.
Last month, Chicago Police Officer Karol Chwiesiuk was charged with five misdemeanors in the breach, accused of sending a text message to a friend bragging that he was inside the capitol, and telling his friend, "N**** don't snitch." Authorities said photos show Chwiesiuk entered the office of Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) after breaching the Capitol. He has been relieved of his police powers and placed on desk duty.
Also in June, 24-year-old Christian Kulas, of Kenilworth, was arrested for taking part in the Capitol breach, charged with unlawful entry on restricted building grounds and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds. According to the charges, Kulas posted video of himself on Instagram as he was storming the Capitol, wearing a pro-Trump "Keep America Great" hat.
Also charged last month was Shane Jason Woods, of downstate Ashburn, who faces at least eight charges – including assault on a law enforcement officer and disorderly conduct in a restricted building. The FBI obtained photos showing Woods on the steps of the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Officials say the 43-year-old pushed a Capitol Police officer and tackled a TV cameraman.
Bradley Rukstales, of Inverness, and David Fitzgerald, or Roselle, were among the first people arrested after the riot. Rukstales was arrested by Capitol Police and FItzgerald was arrested by Washington Metropolitan Police on the day of the attack, both charged with unlawful entry.
A week after the Capitol riot, 40-year-old Kevin Lyons, of Chicago, was arrested for entering House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office after breaching the Capitol. Investigators focused on Lyons' social media, which includes several pictures of him in body armor holding guns. His Instagram account also featured a post of a map tracing the route to Lyons' home to the Washington, D.C. area, with a post beside it reading, "I refuse to tell my children that I sat back and did nothing. I am heading to DC to STOP THE STEAL!"
Three more Illinois residents -- Mathew Capsel, Christina Gerding, and Jason Gerding -- were arrested in late January. Capsel was accused of fighting members of the National Guard who were attempting to block access to the Capitol, after an acquaintance identified him from social media videos he posted during the riot. The Gerdings are accused of posing for a photograph inside the Capitol while decked out in Trump 2020 attire during the Capitol insurrection.
The feds have been using social media to track down people like the Schuberts who are accused in the Capitol riot. They're tweeting images like these almost every day, and have made more than 535 arrests and counting.
The FBI is still taking tips at tips.fbi.gov.