In the aftermath of the attack on the Capitol, the identities of those who took part in the rioting and other mayhem are beginning to surface. While plenty of QAnon celebrities were among the crowd, so too were individuals from decidedly mainstream walks of life. These are some of the MAGAs who have been identified so far.
A CEO
The head of Chicago data-marketing firm Cognesia, Brad Rukstales, tweeted a statement on Thursday noting he was arrested and charged with unlawful entry into the Capitol building. His company also released a Twitter statement announcing the chief executive has been placed on a leave of absence.
State Politicians
Pennsylvania state senator Doug Mastriano was spotted in a photo of Wednesday’s MAGA crowd posted to Facebook by former state representative Rick Saccone. Mastriano started his second term the day before the insurrection. In a statement, he said that he condemned the violence, and that he and his wife did not enter the Capitol or go beyond police lines.
West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans live-streamed on Facebook as he and other rioters forced their way into the Capitol. Wearing military-style garb, he yelled, “We’re in, we’re in, we’re in, let’s go, keep it moving, baby!”
Britney Spears’s Ex-Husband
No, not K-Fed. Rather, it was Jason Allen Alexander, the 55-hour hubby of pop icon Britney Spears, in the crowd outside the Capitol on Wednesday. Alexander and Spears got hitched in Las Vegas in 2004 before a quick annulment ended their union.
A Lieutenant Sheriff
Roxanne Mathai, a lieutenant in the Bexar County, Texas Sheriff’s Office, snapped selfies outside of the Capitol while donning an American flag ski mask. “Not gonna lie…..aside from my kids, this was, indeed, the best day of my life,” wrote Mathai in a Facebook post. (She is currently on administrative leave—not because of her participation in the MAGA mayhem—but because of an ongoing investigation regarding an improper relationship with an inmate.)
A Big Law Attorney
After live-streaming his participation in the mob takeover of the Capitol, Texas lawyer Paul MacNeal Davis lost his job at Goosehead Insurance. Davis served as associate general counsel for the insurance firm, which announced his departure from the company in a tweet on Thursday. Records reportedly indicate that Davis previously worked at the law firms Clark Hill and Andrews Kurth.
Real Estate Agents
Chicago-based firm @properties cut ties with Libby Andrews after she was photographed among the throng of rioters outside the Capitol. The former agent wrote a social media post about “storming the Capitol,” and later told the Chicago Tribune the post was a joke written while sipping champagne in her hotel.
Texas real estate broker Jenna Ryan took a private jet with a group of friends to DC for the MAGA rioting. Ryan, also a radio host, posed for photos next to a broken window at the Capitol building and wrote on Twitter: “We just stormed the capital [sic]. It was one of the best days of my life.”
This story has been updated.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
