ICP fan identified, charged thanks to 'Hatchetman' hat he wore on Jan. 6

WASHINGTON — A Michigan man was arrested on misdemeanor charges for his alleged role in the Capitol riot Thursday after being identified thanks in part to the band apparel he wore.

Adam Christopher Mancuso was arrested in Laurium, Michigan, Thursday on the four standard misdemeanor charges used in Jan. 6 cases.

According to charging documents, the FBI received a tip less than a week after the riot that Mancuso had posted images of himself outside and inside of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In the photos, Mancuso can be seen wearing a yellow shirt, black hoodie and a black hat with a red Hatchetman logo.

The Hatchetman logo is used by the hardcore hip hop band Isane Clown Posse, also known as “ICP.” Fans of the band are known as “juggalos” and frequently wear the logo.

In charging documents, investigators said they located “multiple images” of Mancuso wearing the same Hatchetman hat, as well as wearing a Hatchetman necklace and ring. The loss, and return, of Mancuso’s Hatchetman ring was the subject of a June 2023 article by Seacoastonline.

Investigators said they also found a Facebook page titled “Adam’s Stash” in which Mancuso sold ICP-themed items.

Mancuso appears to be the first Capitol riot defendant to be identified thanks to his affinity for ICP. The band has previously pushed back on any comparisons to former President Donald Trump and his supporters. In an interview with the Huffington Post in January 2021, ICP founder Violent J criticized an article in The Atlantic that described Trump's tenure in the White House as the "political equivalent of the Insane Clown Posse" — saying the group had taken far more precautions to protect its fans from the COVID-19 pandemic than Trump had as president. (The Atlantic had praised the group a year earlier for its COVID response in an article titled "Insane Clown Posse is Modeling Ideal Pandemic Leadership" that argued, among other things, the band had been more responsible about the pandemic than Trump.)

On Jan. 6, according to charging documents, Mancuso entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Doors shortly before 3 p.m. Once inside, investigators said, he made his way to the Crypt and picked up a sign affixed to a pole reading, “America First, Never Gie Up, Never Surrender.” Mancuso put the pole back down after being confronted by a police officer.

Investigators said Mancuso was in the Capitol for approximately six minutes before leaving for the first time through the House Carriage Door.

Roughly 15 minutes after he exited, according to charging documents, Mancuso reentered the building through the East Rotunda Doors. Upon reentering, Mancuso placed a gas mask over his face and made his way to the front of a line of police who were attempting to prevent members of the mob from entering further into the building. Investigators said Mancuso was briefly “chest to chest” with an officer before he was pushed away from the police line. He then left the building for a second and final time.

Mancuso’s case was assigned for an initial appearance in D.C. District Court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey.

In the 43 months since the attack on the Capitol, nearly 1,500 people have been arrested and charged with crimes ranging from entering a restricted area to seditious conspiracy. More than 1,100 defendants have now been convicted in connection with the attack.