Feds arrest Ameriprise advisor on January 6 riot charges

FBI says advisor ID’ed as ‘one of the first rioters’; defense attorney protests he ‘has not done a damn thing.'

An advisor at Ameriprise Financial has been arrested and faces multiple felony charges for his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

The charges against Lee Giobbie, 40, of Easthampton, New Jersey, include civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Following the indictment, an Ameriprise spokeswoman stated, “We immediately suspended Mr. Giobbie and are conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.”

Investigations placing Giobbie at the scene on January 6 indicate that he was one of the first rioters to breach the Capitol’s defenses.

According to NBC News, Giobbie was identified in a video clip during the incident sporting a vintage Philadelphia Eagles hat. He purportedly used a bullhorn to provoke the mob, yelling, “Move the gates!” before the group overran the barricades.

A separate open-source video recording showed him at the front of the rioters as it breached another police line and broke through the east doors to enter the Capitol, according to authorities.

Giobbie was reported to the FBI by online sleuths who tagged him in 2022. They offered up additional tips and corroborating photo evidence last year.

In defense, Hope Lefeber, Giobbie’s attorney, said that while it did appear he was present in the Capitol building at the time, he “has not engaged in any subversive activities, has not been destructive in any way, has not done a damn thing since Jan. 6.”

Giobbie had been aware of the investigation for months and had offered to surrender voluntarily, she added. He was not arrested at his residence and no home search was conducted, though there was a search warrant issued for his phone.

The FBI’s investigation, aided by online sleuths and facial recognition technology, linked Giobbie to the riot through images and videos from the day, as well as through a comparison of facial markings visible in both professional and riot-day photos.

The collaborative effort between federal authorities and the public has been instrumental in identifying participants in the riot. Giobbie is among approximately 1,250 individuals across almost all 50 US states who have been arrested in connection with the Capitol attack.

In the immediate aftermath of the riots, a number of brokerages, including Bank of America Corp., Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab Corp., announced that they would halt or rethink their donations to politicians.

Giobbie’s career in the financial services industry began in 2007; he’s been registered with Ameriprise in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, since 2017. His BrokerCheck report reflects no charges or allegations prior to January 6.