The FBI has arrested an Arizona man who it says costume-played the Book of Mormon figure Captain Moroni and illegally entered the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to federal investigators.
The FBI took Nathan Wayne Entrekin, 48, of Cottonwood, Arizona, into custody Thursday, a day after court documents show a federal judge issued an arrest warrant for him on two misdemeanor charges:
- Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.
- Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Entrekin stood out in national TV coverage of the mob because he wore a gladiator costume and represented himself as Captain Moroni, according to a 27-page affidavit by an FBI agent. The Book of Mormon describes Captain Moroni raising armies to fight tyrants about 72 B.C.
A man the FBI says is Nathan Wayne Entrekin sits on a bench near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The FBI says the photo was posted publicly on Twitter. Entrekin was arrested Thursday and faces two misdemeanor charges in connection with the riot.
FBI
Entrekin narrated videos for his mother while he walked around inside the Capitol and on the grounds outside and also gave videotaped interviews, according to the affidavit.
“I am Captain Moroni. I’m the William Wallace of the Book of Mormon,” Entrekin said in one interview, according to the affidavit. “In the Book of Alma of the Book of Mormon, a freedom fighter named Captain Moroni fought for his freedom against the King-Men,” the affidavit said Entrekin said in interviews.
The FBI affidavit specifically described one part of Entrekin’s costume:
In all the photos and videos of the defendant, he is carrying a wooden dowel with a piece of white cloth attached. The cloth appears to have the following text handwritten on it: IN MEMORY OF OUR GOD, OUR RELIGION, AND FREEDOM, AND OUR PEACE, OUR WIVES, AND OUR CHILDREN. ALMA 46:12.
A man the FBI has identified as Nathan Wayne Entrekin poses near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The FBI says the photo was posted publicly on Instagram. Entrekin was arrested Thursday and faces two misdemeanor charges in connection with the riot.
FBI
The FBI agent who wrote the affidavit included a background section on Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty.
The FBI obtained Entrekin’s name from a tip, the affidavit said.
The FBI included evidence it said came from Entrekin’s Twitter account, where he allegedly posted a tweet in December that said, “Hey Patriots! Captain Moroni is coming to D.C. on Jan. 6. Yay! Alma 46:12.”
Entrekin allegedly told FBI agents that he drove across country in his personal car and that he considered his time in the Capitol “solemn” and “revered.” He also asserted that he decided to leave as soon as he saw broken glass and looting, according to the affidavit, but the FBI agent said video evidence “at times confirmed and at times contradicted the claims that the defendant made.”
The affidavit included images that showed a man the FBI agent identified as Entrekin walking through the Capitol doors and images allegedly from Entrekin’s phone that show looting.
Federal prosecutors have charged more than 500 people who allegedly participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to The Washington Post. The mob’s rush on the seat of Congress resulted in the deaths of five people.
If convicted, Entrekin could spend more than a year in prison, but LawandCrime.com said a maximum penalty here is unlikely.