The father-and-son duo of James Cusick Jr. and Casey Cusick, who help lead a church in Melbourne, Florida, called the Global Outreach Center, have now become two of the latest Trump supporters to get arrested by federal authorities for participating in the January riot at the Capitol. The Cusicks and David Lesperance, a member of their church, were taken into custody on Thursday, although at least Lesperance has since been conditionally released. As reported by The Washington Post, the three of them face charges including “knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or ground without lawful authority, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.”
Lesperance originally informed the FBI that his pastor had been involved in the Capitol riot alongside him in January, when federal agents interviewed him at his home. Lesperance didn’t identify his pastor by name at the time, but on January 22, an individual identified by the Post as a “source” informed authorities of Cusick Jr.’s involvement in the Capitol violence. On March 26, the FBI received an anonymous letter outlining involvement by both Cusicks and Lesperance in the riot, and photos confirming Cusick Jr.’s connection to that Melbourne church came in alongside the bulk of that letter.
Lesperance has apparently already admitted to FBI agents — the ones who showed up at his home for an interview in January — that he participated in the deadly display of violence. Authorities have apparently found photos that Lesperance took back on January 6 on his iCloud account, with security footage from the Capitol and images from law enforcement officers’ body cameras also having emerged showing Lesperance and Cusick Jr. at the Capitol.
Troublingly, the Cusicks and Lesperance are among dozens of Florida residents who have been arrested for participating in the riot. More rioters have been arrested from Florida than from any other state. Just recently, Florida residents Jamie and Jennifer Buteau were arrested, with Jamie facing a federal criminal charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers after security footage revealed him hurling a chair at officers who were trying to defend the Capitol against the marauding Trump supporters. Both Jamie and Jennifer also face other charges.
