Actor and comedian Jay Johnston was arrested on Wednesday by the FBI and charged in relation to the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. According to a federal warrant filed Monday, per PEOPLE, Johnston, 54, is facing felony charges of obstructing officers responding to a civil disorder, as well as several misdemeanors, including unlawful trespassing and trying to disrupt government operations. Among other roles, Johnston voiced “Jimmy Pesto Sr.” in Bob’s Burgers and played “Officer Taylor” in Arrested Development.
He made appearances in several television shows, including Better Call Saul, Modern Family, Parks & Recreation, and others. As a writer for Mr. Show, Johnston was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards in 1998 and 1999.
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According to The Daily Beast, the top staff behind Bob’s Burgers “banned” Johnston from returning due to his alleged involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. According to two sources familiar with the Fox animated sitcom, Johnston will not be allowed to record Jimmy Pesto Sr’s voice. Instead of a “firing,” the company described it as a “ban,” and it is said that Bob’s Burgers executives do not wish to make “a big deal” out of the story.
In the photos and videos from the Jan. 6 protest, Johnston appears to be visible, but he has never publicly admitted to having attended the riot, nor has Fox or Bob’s Burgers ever clearly stated that he was present at the riot. The Associated Press reported that more than 1,000 people have been arrested and charged with federal crimes for the attack. There have been over 500 sentences handed down. Many of those sentenced to prison have received sentences ranging from one week to 18 years, according to AP.
uring the week of the riot, Johnston booked a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., according to evidence in the federal warrant. On Jan. 4, the actor arrived in the nation’s capital and left on Jan. 7, the day after the violence occurred. Federal investigators allegedly tracked Johnston’s activity throughout the melee using security footage from the attack.
Johnson is alleged to have entered the U.S. Capitol building’s west tunnel”assist[ing] at least three other rioters by pouring water on the rioters’ faces.” Later, he “made his way further toward the police line and assisted other rioters in handing up U.S. Capitol Police shields,” according to the warrant. “Johnston then participated with other rioters in a group assault on the officers defending” the U.S. Capitol, according to the FBI agent.
Johnston is shown holding the shield in the warrant, which also includes video showing him “pushing along with other rioters” in an attempt to breach the police line protecting the building’s entrance, the warrant alleges. In March 2021, the FBI first tweeted images of Johnston and other alleged rioters, asking the public to identify them. The FBI verified Johnston as the man in the photos four days later when his attorney contacted the FBI to identify him.
Three others who knew Johnston also identified the actor. An associate shared text messages Johnston sent, allegedly confirming his involvement in the riots. “The news has presented it as an attack. It actually wasn’t,” he claimed in the text. “Thought it kind of turned into that. It was a mess. Got maced and tear gassed and I found it quite untastic.”
