EXCLUSIVE: Five Arrested Over Jan. 6, Two Fear They Are Next

Five members of what the government describes as a “militia-style” group were arrested in relation to Jan. 6, 2021. Two other members fear being arrested next.

On Aug. 24, the United States Department of Defense (DOD) Attorney’s Office issued a press release announcing the arrest of five Florida men “on charges stemming from their actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.” Posts of the arrests immediately surfaced on social media, followed by news reports.

The Arrests

According to the press release, Benjamin Cole, 38, of Leesburg, John Edward Crowley, 50, of Windermere, Brian Preller, 33, of Mount Dora, and Jonathan Rockholt, 38, of Palm Coast, Florida, were “charged with the felony offense of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder.” A fifth defendant, 20-year-old Tyler Bensch of Casselberry, was charged with the others “with the misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.”

The criminal complaint, dated the same day, only identifies Preller, by name. The names of the others are redacted.

Jonathan Rockholt of Palm Coast, shown here in a 2016 mugshot, was charged with the felony offense of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. (Flagler County, Florida Sheriff’s Office)

According to the DOD, all five men “self-identified” as “members of the ‘B Squad,’ a subgroup of a militia-style, Florida based organization known as the ‘Guardians of Freedom,’ which adheres to the ideology of the ‘Three Percenters.’”

old listing shows Jeremy Liggett held the title of CEO for a Jan. 25, 2021 date of incorporation.  The current listing (pdf) on the Florida State Division of Corporations website shows Leandra Clark is now named