FBI used MMA fight poster to identify Jan. 6 rioter from Tennessee

WASHINGTON (WATE) — A Tennessee man pleaded guilty to a felony charge earlier this month for his action during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Devin McNulty, 28, of Loudon, pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers Feb. 1 in Washington, D.C.

He initially faced charges including an act of physical violence in a Capitol building and engaging in physical violence, and civil disorder. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 28.

According to court documents, the FBI first learned about McNulty through an anonymous tip. Agents were able to identify him by comparing photos and videos from the Capitol to a poster advertising a Knoxville mixed martial arts fight McNulty competed in.

Investigators identified his cellphone number and used call logs and data from Snapchat to track his whereabouts from Knoxville on Jan. 5 to Washington the next day.

McNulty was seen on various videos shared on social media from the Capitol grounds, including at the west front of the Capitol building and scaling the retaining wall to reach the Upper West Terrace.

Other footage appears to show him pushing directly against a police officer’s riot shield. An officer interviewed following the riot said he attempted to gain control of their shields, forcing them to exert increasingly more effort to counteract him. The officer described their interaction with McNulty as “aggressive” and “persistent.”

A search warrant for Google accounts linked to McNulty showed searches for “flights from TYS to Washington on Jan 6, 2021, returning Jan 8, 2021.” TYS is the airport code for McGhee Tyson Airport. Other search terms included “charges against rioters,” “What we know about the people arrested after the Capitol riots” and “how to mass delete Gmail emails.”

He was arrested June 13, 2023, in Atlanta.