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Upper East Side Pickup Artist Arrested For Alleged Role In Capitol Insurrection
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jan 20, 2021
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FBI
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jan 20, 2021
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A Manhattan pickup artist with an interest in the far-right Qanon conspiracy was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly participating in the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.
Samuel Fisher, an Upper East Side resident who appears to run a sparsely-watched YouTube channel devoted to "help[ing] men get high value girls," was taken into custody at his Yorkville home on Wednesday morning.
FBI agents recovered a cache of weapons inside the apartment, including a semiautomatic rifle, one thousand rounds of ammunition, and a bullet proof vest, according to the complaint.
At his arraignment on Wednesday, prosecutors said Fisher traveled to Washington D.C. with multiple weapons and "the intention of engaging in violence."
They pointed to social media posts, in which Fisher allegedly bragged about carrying guns to D.C., and wrote that he wanted to "bring the pain upon" Trump's political enemies.
An image that Fisher allegedly posted to Facebook
FBI
Fisher also posted on a personal website under the alias Brad Holiday, prosecutors said. The page is littered with far-right memes, including references to the anti-Semitic “Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion," and delusional screeds inspired by the Qanon movement accusing Joe Biden of pedophilia.
On the night before the attack on the U.S. Capitol, "Holiday" wrote a post entitled "January 6th, 2021 Will Be The Most Historically Important Day Of Our Lives." It describes a plan to face off against the "Communists or Satanists" who control the federal government, and "allow Antifa and [Black Lives Matter] to run roughshot in the streets."
"Trump just needs to fire the bat signal...deputize patriots...and then pain comes," he wrote, according to court filings. "1 Million Pissed off men with guns… bad idea."
Prior to that, Fisher allegedly encouraged others to bring weapons to D.C. for the Stop the Steal rally, declaring: "they can't arrest us all man."
While photos place him on the steps of the Capitol, it's unclear whether Fisher entered the building, or was armed at the time.
He was charged on Wednesday with unlawfully entering restricted grounds of the U.S. Capitol and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors said they planned to bring more serious charges against Fisher in the coming weeks, including possible weapons charges.
A defense attorney for Fisher did not dispute that he attended the rally or wrote the posts, but said there was no evidence that he actually entered the Capitol building.
Fisher's request for bail was denied by Judge Stewart Aaron, who said that his arsenal of weapons and tactical gear suggested he could pose "a serious danger" to the community.
Tagged
fbi
capitol riots
qanon
upper east side
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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