King County man arrested, charged in connection with U.S. Capitol breach

A King County man has been arrested and charged in connection with the Jan. 6 breach on the U.S. Capitol, the FBI announced last week.

Joseph Elliott Zlab, 51, is from Lake Forest Park and was arrested early Thursday in Everett without incident, an FBI spokesperson said.

Zlab is the sixth person from Washington state charged in connection with the U.S. Capitol breach.

He is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds.

According to an FBI affidavit, a man matching Zlab’s description was seen in photos and videos entering the Capitol on Jan. 6 when a group forced entry. He was “wearing a red baseball cap and a red jacket, holding a yellow `Don’t Tread On Me’ flag,” according to documents.

The FBI later received an anonymous tip that said Zlab was in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and gave the name of Zlab’s business in King County. A federal agent followed up on the tip and contacted him.

In the call, Zlab “confirmed he attended President Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021 and participated in the march to the U.S. Capitol.” He also said he circled the Capitol building two to three times taking pictures, according to documents.

The FBI also confirmed Zlab’s flight information with Alaska Airlines.

A U.S. judge in the District of Columbia later issued a search warrant for Zlab’s Google account, and found a folder titled “January 6, 2021” with photos from inside the U.S. Capitol.

The FBI conducted further surveillance that confirmed Zlab was the person in the photos from inside the building.

Zlab made his initial court appearance Thursday and faces up to a year and a half in prison if convicted.

Cox Media Group