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24 ¦ FEBRUARY 1, 2021 NEWS

¦ From ‘ALL IN’ on PAGE 23 The sheer size of the caseload has raised ques-
cases over everything from bank robbery and sanc- tions about whether the U.S. attorney’s office in
tions violations to espionage and murder. Washington—the largest of the more than 90 federal
“The staffing of these cases is likely a byproduct prosecutors’ offices spread across the country—will be
of the large scale of this prosecution. This is a na- capable on its own to handle everything. But Sherwin
tional or international moment involving a potential insisted “there’s no manpower issue here,” in a remark
overthrow or coup of our government, including that appeared aimed at recent media reports that the
reported efforts to harm elected officials—people Justice Department and FBI have debated not bring-
showing up with zip ties to kidnap or hold hostage ing charges against those who entered the Capitol but
elected officials,” said Reed Smith partner Rizwan were not linked to destruction, threats or violence.
Qureshi, a former prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s “Everyone is all in on these cases,” he said. “The
office in D.C. courts, for example, have devoted significant ju-
“With this conduct, you have an obvious violent dicial resources to ensure every single warrant is
crime component and an obvious national security signed, every single criminal complaint is issued, ev-
component. Each of these prosecutors at [the of- ery single subpoena is issued, as well as all these tips
fice] are some of the best in the country and each being followed up [on] by the FBI. So, again, there
offer different experience and background which is is no manpower issue. If a crime was committed, we
necessary for such a large scale and multi-faceted are going to track that person down, and they will
prosecution,” he said. be charged.”
Rakoczy entered an appearance in the pros- The effort has brought in prosecutors from across
ecution of Nicholas Ochs, a leader of the far-right the office, including several with backgrounds in
Proud Boys group, who was photographed smoking high-profile cases.
and grinning inside the Capitol. In a criminal com- For instance, Molly Gaston, a fraud and public
plaint, prosecutors pointed to Ochs’s social media corruption prosecutor, has so far been assigned to
account and his admissions to the news network two cases arising out of the Jan. 6 insurrection. One
CNN that he had breached the Capitol amid the ri- of those cases is against Robert Gieswein, who was
oting that left five dead. ordered held on charges he assaulted and intimidat-
Ochs was charged with unlawfully entering the ed Capitol police officers with a spray canister and
Capitol and is represented by the Virginia-based de- baseball bat. In court papers, the Justice Depart-
fense lawyer Edward McMahon. ment said Gieswein appears to be affiliated with the
Michael Sherwin, who was named last year as the Three Percenters, a radical militia group loosely af-
acting U.S. attorney in Washington, has emphasized filiated with the Oath Keepers, a separate militia that
in the aftermath of the rioting that more serious has been involved in far-right protests.
charges could be added against those accused of un- Court papers include photographs of Gieswin
lawfully entering the Capitol. In recent remarks to wearing camouflage and a military-style vest and
reporters, Sherwin said he established a strike force helmet inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
composed of public corruption and national secu- In recent years, Gaston had been involved in the
rity prosecutors to consider sedition charges. Those consideration of criminal charges against former
efforts would “bear fruit very soon,” he said Tuesday. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe—the U.S.

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