Former Trump administration official charged with assault on Capitol 0:28
(CNN) -
An army reservist accused of storming the US Capitol is a known white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer at the naval base where he worked as a contractor, and was even reprimanded for sporting a distinctive "Hitler mustache," they said. prosecutors in a new report.
Federal prosecutors revealed Friday that the Navy conducted its own internal investigation into Timothy Hale-Cusanelli and uncovered numerous incidents in which he promoted racist and sexist views.
The Naval Criminal Investigation Service interviewed 44 of his colleagues and 34 of them said they had "extremist or radical views on the Jewish people, minorities and women."
Hale-Cusanelli, 30, was charged with seven criminal counts, including obstruction of congressional proceedings, civil disorder and disorderly conduct on Capitol Hill.
He has not yet pleaded guilty.
His defense attorney declined to comment Sunday on the new details of the Navy investigation, but noted in court documents that Hale-Cusanelli maintains he is not a white supremacist.
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Colleagues told Navy investigators that Hale-Cusanelli made comments almost daily against Jews, advocated killing newborn babies with disabilities and had "problems with women," according to court documents.
Prosecutors said they found racist memes on his phone, including one with the n-word (an English expression that is degrading to black people), one that compared black people to animals, and another that insulted George Floyd. .
A federal magistrate in New Jersey ordered his release shortly after his arrest in January, but the Justice Department convinced a higher-ranking judge in Washington to block his release pending further review.
A detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Hateful comments
Hale-Cusanelli worked as a security contractor at Earle Naval Weapons Station near Colts Neck, NJ.
He had a "secret" security clearance as part of his job, prosecutors said.
The Navy launched its own internal investigation after Hale-Cusanelli was arrested in January, and nearly three dozen of his colleagues shared stories of his alleged racist and bigoted remarks.
Prosecutors highlighted the Navy's findings in a document advocating his continued detention.
One of Hale-Cusanelli's supervisors told investigators that he would approach his new colleagues and ask, "You're not Jewish, are you?"
A noncommissioned officer claimed they heard him say that: "Jews, women and blacks were at the bottom of the totem."
Another contractor at the base said Hale-Cusanelli told them that the Jews "are ruining everything and they don't belong here," according to the document.
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In a shocking revelation, prosecutors said Hale-Cusanelli arrived at the base last year sporting a distinctive mustache that resembled Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
One of his supervisors told Navy investigators that they confronted Hale-Cusanelli about his apparent "Hitler mustache."
Another naval officer recalled that Hale-Cusanelli said that: "Hitler should have finished the job."
Prosecutors also found evidence on his phone that they said proved Hale-Cusanelli's extremist views.
They found a video in which he allegedly furthered the conspiracy theory that "Jews committed the September 11 attack" and another clip in which he allegedly said, "I hate immigrants ... intensely."
On the day of the Capitol uprising, prosecutors say Hale-Cusanelli recorded a video of himself yelling obscene vulgarity at a female police officer who was guarding the building.
The defense attorney rejects the accusations
His attorney, Jonathan Zucker, has said in court documents that Hale-Cusanelli is not a violent man and that he can be safely released into the custody of his close associates in New Jersey.
"Mr. Hale-Cusanelli is charged with crimes arising from entering and remaining on the Capitol grounds, primarily crimes analogous to illegal entry," Zucker wrote in a court docket.
“He is not accused of crimes of violence or destruction.
He never attacked or threatened anyone.
In an interview with FBI agents, Hale-Cusanelli denied being a Nazi sympathizer or holding white supremacist views, according to defense documents.
His lawyer acknowledged that his client's posts on social media are "controversial," but said they focus primarily on local politics.
One of Hale-Cusanelli's supervisors at the naval base where he worked presented a letter defending Hale-Cusanelli and attacking the press.
He refuted allegations that Hale-Cusanelli is a white supremacist, noting that he "frequently paid for breakfast" to a black colleague.
"I was horrified by the way the press slandered him that he was a 'white supremacist,'" said Sgt.
John Getz wrote to the judge.
I've never seen him like this.
Getz said he was "proud to have someone like (Hale-Cusanelli) serve under me."
(Since his arrest, Hale-Cusanelli has been barred from the naval base where he worked with Getz.)
But prosecutors told the judge that this glowing comment "directly contradicts" what Getz told Navy investigators.
Getz told the Navy that Hale-Cusanelli was a Holocaust denier who made racist comments in a way "that was not joking," and that he confronted Hale-Cusanelli about his behavior.
When FBI agents interviewed Getz about the discrepancy, he said he was not personally offended by Hale-Cusanelli's conduct and wanted to "speak positively" about him to the judge.
Hale-Cusanelli has been a reservist since 2009. Court documents say he was discharged after January 6, but the Defense Department said Monday that is not the case.
"The Army Reserve leadership is reviewing the information on Sergeant Hale-Cusanelli's alleged misconduct and will take appropriate administrative action in accordance with Army Regulations," Lt. Col. Simon Flake said in a statement to CNN.
"The US Army Reserve takes all allegations of Army soldiers or civilians involvement in extremist groups seriously and will address this issue in accordance with Army regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice to ensure due process," Flake added.
"Extremist ideologies and activities are directly opposed to our values and beliefs and those who subscribe to extremism have no place in our ranks."
CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
