The FBI raided his home around three years back, and the actor has been under scrutiny in airports.
Conservative actor Siaka Massaquoi was arrested by the FBI on Nov. 30 and charged with misdemeanors in connection with his presence during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach.
The FBI arrested Mr. Massaquoi as he arrived home from a movie premiere, according to a legal defense fundraising effort set up in his name. At the time, he was with his pregnant wife, Charlotte Massaquoi. The FBI separated them and took him to jail.
“Charlotte was told the charges had to do with January 6th; however, she was not presented with any arrest warrant,” a description provided with the fundraising account on GiveSendGo reads. “Siaka was taken to Monterey Park Jail, where he stayed overnight and was told that he was being charged for four misdemeanors pertaining to his presence outside of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on January 6th.”
The FBI raided his home in 2021.
The couple are expecting their first child in March.
“This family has been through so many ups and downs,” the fundraising account description reads. “A circus would be a more appropriate term for the turmoil and unnecessary display of government overreach that they have had to endure.”
The fundraiser, which has a goal of raising $115,000 to cover Mr. Massaquoi’s legal expenses, had raised $42,581 from hundreds of donors as of Dec. 3. Mr. Massaquoi has acted in hit TV shows such as “S.W.A.T,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and “Lethal Weapon.”
According to podcast host Lori Mills, Mr. Massaquoi was arraigned on Dec. 1 and was released with conditions.
“This judge was fair. Preliminary trial next week. We are praying it gets thrown out as D.C. wants the case,” she wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Activist group StopHate posted video footage from the Jan. 6 incident in a Dec. 3 post on X, showing Mr. Massaquoi inside the Capitol building.
“He was at the threshold of the door for maybe a minute, & even helping the police direct the flow of foot traffic out the door. Crime?” the group wrote.
