A North Las Vegas man is the latest person from Nevada arrested for an alleged role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol two years ago.
The FBI has alleged Bradley Nelson took part in the riots as supporters of then-President Donald Trump tried to prevent Congress from certifying the electoral victory for Joe Biden on Jan. 6, 2021.
According to an FBI complaint unsealed last week, someone sent a tip about a Twitter account with the username "nelson_bradley." The account tweeted, "I was one of those that breach that I was in the capital I was in the tundra area when everybody got pushed through and all hell broke loose. . . ."
Another tweet stated, "I was there today I was in the group to breach the capital I'm sorry but till the death that's what we where told."(sic)
The FBI identified the user as Bradley Scott Nelson of North Las Vegas. Agents used his driver's license photo to search videos from the riot and found a person who was consistent with Nelson's appearance. A witness also identified a man from still images as Bradley, the complaint states, and cell phone records put him in an area that included the inside of the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Public video from the riot showed a man identified as Nelson going through some of the scaffolding and saying, "We're at the gate. We're coming through this motherf***** tonight. We're at the door. We're right here. We're coming in. They're not stopping us now, g*********. This is our house, motherf******."
More video showed him on scaffolding and joining a mob that pushed forward. He is recorded telling another person, "If we go beyond this point we'll be going to jail tonight."
Nelson was in the area as a group breached another police line in the Upper West Terrace before entering the Capitol. He left the building and then entered the Capitol a second time, joining a crowd that was pressing up against a police line.
Nelson later left the Capitol again and was recorded on video talking with others near the grounds about breaching the building. One person says they heard the Senate was in the basement, and Nelson responded: "Good. Because I tell ya', f******* cocaine Mitch was on the g******* bullseye. We were in . . . and I guarantee ya they were f******* s****** their pants. Look I'm going back to regroup and . . . we're coming back and taking this m********* again tonight."
The FBI wrote that "cocaine Mitch" was likely referring to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
An agent called Nelson in June 2021 for a phone interview. Nelson said he was inside the Capitol, and when the agent asked him about his Twitter posts, Nelson said it was "just a bunch of bulls*** because everyone was excited and pissed off," and that he did not want to participate in any violence.
He told the FBI that he was a commercial truck driver and drove to Washington on Jan. 6.
Nelson was arrested on March 22 in Las Vegas, according to an FBI warrant. He is facing charges of entering a restricted building, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a capitol building, and parading/demonstrating/picketing in a capitol building.
He is scheduled for an initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday, March 28.
Nelson is the second person arrested in Las Vegas this month for their alleged role in the breach of the Capitol. Brandon Dillard was taken into custody as well for allegedly crawling into the building through a hole in a window.
Three others were arrested in Nevada. Two men - Ronald Sandlin and Nathan DeGrave - were arrested in Las Vegas back in 2021. Sandlin was sentenced to more than five years in prison, while DeGrave is still awaiting sentencing. A third man, Josiah Kenyon, was arrested in Northern Nevada and pleaded guilty in September last year.