WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — FBI agents asked about a North Carolina college student's contacts from and involvement in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the capitol during an interview almost a year ago, according to newly-released audio.
Anthony Scirica, 26, traveled with his parents from Winston-Salem to Arlington, Virginia the night before the 'Stop the Steal' rally was scheduled to take place on Jan. 6, 2021, according to his interview with the FBI in July 2021.
"I think Trump mentioned it in one of his speeches, and he also posted a statement on his Twitter, you know, and all of his posts go viral," said Scirica.
Scirica told investigators he woke up at 4 a.m. on Jan. 6 because he was "excited." He took the train into Washington, D.C. to attend then-President Donald Trump's rally outside the White House.
After the speech, Scirica said he believed Trump would make another speech outside the capitol, and so Scirica and others walked to the building.
"I saw a big crowd and I kept pushing my way forward to the front because I wanted to see what was happening," said Scirica.
In video provided to WCNC Charlotte by the court, Scirica's own cell phone video shows him directing rioters toward Statuary Hall in the direction of the House Chamber doors.
When FBI investigators asked how Scirica made the decision to go upstairs toward the House Chambers, Scirica said he saw a staircase and followed others.
"Then I saw that Statutory Hall, and I was like, 'oh, well, that must be the place towards where the electors are.' So I went that way," said Scirica.
Scirica said he'd never been inside the capitol before Jan. 6. He told investigators he didn't see police officers once inside the building, though video evidence contradicts that account.
The only thing that prompted Scirica to leave the capitol building, he told FBI investigators, was that his phone died. He spent about 31 minutes there, according to prosecutors.
When asked if he wishes he had stayed outside the capitol building on Jan. 6, Scirica said he wasn't sure.
"It might make a good story, in like, 50 years when I'm a grandfather or something, I don't know," said Scirica. "It was more of a...I wanted to see for myself what was happening and document it for myself. You can't really trust other sources."
During the interview with FBI investigators, Scirica was asked about others he connected with during his time at the capitol. He provided the FBI with pictures and phone numbers of at least two individuals he met during the riot.
Scirica pleaded guilty in Sept. 2021 to parading, demonstrating, and picketing in the capitol building. He was sentenced in Jan. 2022 to 15 days in jail and ordered to pay $1,000 in fees and restitution.