The Morgantown man charged for taking part in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will remain in jail until his trial, a federal judge ruled after a more than three-hour hearing.
“This won’t mean anything to the family, I will ache for the absense of someone you love, but my obligation is to the safety of our community, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything play out that was more dangerous to our community,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi said before remanding George Tanios to the custody of U.S. Marshals.
Tanios, the owner of Sandwich University, has been indicted by a grand jury in Washington, D.C., on 10 counts for his alleged actions on Jan. 6. Julian Khater was indicted with Tanios, and is his co-defendant in the case.
Aloi said it wasn’t “happenstance” that Tanios and Khater picked Jan. 6 to visit D.C. It was on a day when Congress, under its oath, was to certify an election, the results of which the former president refused to accept.
“We all know what happened on January 6. Everyone in our country knows what happened January 6,” Aloi said. “…And we’ve created this culture radicalized by hate and just refusal to really accept the results of the democratic process.”
He added that one of the first things he considers when it comes to a defendant is their interaction with law enforcement, and that he can’t accept people who don’t peacefully deal with officers.
The government presented some unreported evidence in its case against Tanios while arguing for his detention.
The manager at ATR Performance in Morgantown remembered Tanios coming into the store Jan. 5. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wagner said the manager remembered Tanios was on the phone when he came in and told him he was going to D.C. with the person he was talking to.
Wagner said Tanios asked the ATR manager if he could take a gun to D.C., was told no, asked if he could take a pepper ball gun near the cash register to D.C. and was told no because it shot projectiles. Tanios then asked if he could take mace and the manager said yes, as long as it was aerosol-based.
Tanois bought two cans of Frontiersman bear spray – the only kind ATR carried – and two keychain pepper sprays, Wagner said. A receipt was provided which shows the purchase was made at 5:09 p.m. on Jan. 5. The manager said it was only combination of the two items he remembered selling. Phone records showed a 39-second call between Khater and Tanios at 4:58 p.m.
Two cans of Frontiersman-brand bear spray and a smaller cannister that matched one found in Khater’s house were found in Tanois’ home, Wagner said.
In an interview after his arrest, Khater said Tanois bought the bear spray and pepper spray for them and carried the spray in a backpack for the both of them, Wagner said. He said he drove to Morgantown to pick Tanios up and the two drove to D.C. together, arriving sometime late Jan. 5 or early on Jan. 6. They shared a hotel room and a Lyft in the morning. They then drove back to Morgantown together, where Khater dropped Tanios off.
The government also showed 10 videos of the incident in question. The videos came from social media, surveillance cameras and officer body cameras.
Khater is accused of taking a chemical substance from Tanois’ backpack and using it on officers, hitting three. Among the three was Officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after the riot. Neither Tanios or Khater are charged in connection with his death. One officer reported scabs under her eyes weeks later and needed to see a dermatologist, Wagner said.
The government also argued Tanois was a flight risk, and said a tipster to the Federal Bureau of Investigation stated his mother indicated the family would help him get to Lebanon, where they have ties.
His mother did not take the suggestion well.
“Who tell you that?” Maguy Tanios asked when told of the government’s accusation. “This is my country. Forty years in the United States. What are you talking about? This is my country (this or these) United States … I raised my kids here … we are American.”
When asked by defense attorney Elizabeth Gross if the accusation was true, “No, of course no,” she said.
Gross argued Tanois had strong ties to the community, and doesn’t have a violent background.
“I know the government wants to minimize his character and employment and family ties, but that is strong,” she said.
Maguy Tanios said her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She spoke about leaving Lebanon and building a life in the United States, running a luncheon in New Brunswick, N.J.
In addition to his mother, Tanois’ sister, fiancée, a former employee who introduced him to his fiancée, and a fellow businessman in Morgantown all testified on his behalf.
Gross described the videos and events recounted by Wagner as “snippets” and “puzzle pieces” that showed only the government’s interpretation of events.
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