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Putnam County resident Robert Chapman, age 51, was arrested in 2021 after bragging about his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, DC, admitting that he was there and made it to Statuary Hall to a would-be match on the popular dating app.
“I did storm the capitol (sic) … I made it all the way into Statuary Hall! … Did an interview with Robert O’Morrow of the Washington Post … Also did online interview with jess Brevins of the WSJ,” Chapman allegedly said.
The other Bumble user was unimpressed, stating simply “We are not a match” before turning Chapman in to federal authorities. Chapman was arrested in April 2021 in his hometown of Carmel.
On Wednesday, May 18, a judge sentenced Chapman to three months of home detention, followed by 18 months of probation for knowingly entering or remaining an a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Chapman pleaded guilty on Dec. 16, 2021.
In addition to his probation and home confinement, Chapman was also ordered to pay $500 in restitution and a $742 fine.
According to the FBI, Chapman was caught on a body camera being worn by Capitol Police during the riot, and cellphone photos of him were shared by tipsters.
The FBI was also alerted to a Facebook post published a day after the attacks in which a user shared an image of someone believed to be Chapman inside the Capitol wearing the same jacket and multi-colored bandana he was sporting in previously shared police footage.
According to the complaint, Facebook user Lisa Jeanne Vunk stated: “My Dear friend and BroStar Robert made it in the Capitol building at the protest yesterday… Woo Hooooooooo!!!!”
In those comments of the Facebook post, someone using the name “Robert Erick,” who is believed to be Chapman, responded to some who were critical of his participation in the riot.
“Lisa Jeanne Vunk these are your peers? Colleagues? They are a bunch of little b - - - h trolls. Keyboard warriors who don’t do a (expletive deleted) thing.”
That same account also posted on the day of the riot stating “I’M (expletive deleted) INSIDE THE CRAPITOL!!!” and included several photos of him inside the Capitol.
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