Federal case against Savannah man charged in Jan. 6 insurrection on track to proceed more quickly

Caption

In this photo provided by the FBI, the man in the yellow circle is identified by an agent as Dominic Box on the east stairs of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Credit: FBI

A federal arraignment has been scheduled for a Savannah man charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Dominic Box has been ordered to appear remotely via Zoom on Jan. 17, 2023, before a D.C. judge to formally hear the four charges brought against him, which include violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.

D.C.-based lawyer John Machado, who is representing Box as his court-appointed attorney, did not respond to GPB's request for comment on the charges and arraignment.

Previously, Box had been ordered to appear on March 14 for a second preliminary hearing after he made his initial appearance in December, but Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya has since vacated it, as Box has already been appointed an attorney and released on bond.

Among the conditions of his release is abstaining from excessive use of alcohol, as federal prosecutors warned that Box has committed multiple alcohol-related offenses in the past.

When asked by Upadhyaya if he would abide by the conditions of his release, Box said that he would abide “to the best of my abilities.” Upadhyaya responded, “It's not ‘to the best of your abilities.’ It's ‘yes,’” after which Box said yes.

In a detailed criminal complaint, FBI agent Jeffrey Pearson outlined Box's alleged involvement in the violent attempt by supporters of then-President Donald Trump to overturn the results of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.

Pearson wrote that numerous photos and videos show Box breaching the Capitol building, after marching from Trump's “Stop the Steal” rally.

Among them is an HBO documentary, in which Box sat down for an interview where he acknowledged his presence in the Capitol building.

Pearson also wrote that Box sat down for a voluntary interview in February 2021 with the FBI in the presence of his mother, in which Box largely confirmed his role in the attack.

Box's case will be presided over by District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who has been a vocal critic of guilty defendants in other Jan. 6-related cases that she has overseen.

In November, Kollar-Kotelly compared the Jan. 6 insurrection to the discord that led up to the Civil War.