Feds: Glenshaw man charged in Jan. 6 riot had Lego model of Capitol, militia notes

EDITOR’S NOTE: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia filed an updated memo July 9 that detailed how the Lego model of the Capitol was in a box and wasn’t “fully constructed” as prosecutors initially stated.

A Glenshaw man facing federal charges for helping to lead the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol had a handwritten, step-by-step guide detailing “How to Create Hometown Militia,” along with a handgun, a shotgun and a rifle, when he was arrested June 11, according to a federal court filing.

Authorities said they also found a Lego model of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Robert Morss, 27, is charged with assault, resisting or impeding officers; civil disorder; robbery of personal property of the United States; and obstruction of an official proceeding.

“His actions inherently prove he is a danger to the community at large, and the law enforcement officers who stand in the way of his ideological beliefs, whose safety can only be assured by his detention,” Channing D. Phillips, the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, wrote in a 39-page brief filed July 2 asking for Morss’ continued detention as he awaits trial.

When FBI agents arrested Morss, they also recovered a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, a neck gaiter, a military utility bag, a black tourniquet and military fatigues that appear to match items he carried during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to the filing.

Authorities found a notebook in his car that included names, equipment and steps including “Battle Drills, Ambush and Formations” that were a guide to create a militia, according to the filing.

“Morss came prepared for battle, dressed in tactical gear, wearing goggles, and carrying a knife and scissors, and a tourniquet,” Phillips wrote in the filing. “In short, Morss came prepared for violence and then repeatedly led the violent mob attacking law enforcement in an effort to overtake the Capitol.”

Unnamed witnesses who identified Morss from photos released after the insurrection told authorities Morss served in the military and attended Penn State University.

He was a day-to-day substitute teacher at Shaler Area School District with a focus on social studies and was certified to teach middle and high school students.

He was captured on video and photos taken Jan. 6. At several points during the mayhem, he appeared to have taken a leadership role in storming past Capitol Police into the building, police said.

In bodycam footage from police, Morss can be heard talking to the officers, saying, “You guys are betraying us. You get paid enough to betray your people?”

He then continues, “This is our Capitol. This is our Capitol.”

Morss also was heard in released footage saying, “Take a look around, back up, we are going to take our Capitol back.”

If released, Phillips wrote, he continues to be a danger to the community and “presents a future threat.”

“It is difficult to fathom a more serious danger to the community — to the District of Columbia, to the country, or to the fabric of American Democracy — than the one posed by someone who knowingly and eagerly engaged in a violent insurrection to occupy the United States Capitol and abort the certification of a lawful and fair election,” Phillips wrote. “Every person who was present without authority in the Capitol on January 6 contributed to the chaos of that day and the danger posed to law enforcement, the United States Vice President, Members of Congress, and the peaceful transfer of power.”

“However, Morss violently led that effort and thus his specific conduct aggravated that chaos and danger.”

Morss is represented by Kathleen M. Gaughan of the Federal Community Defender Office. She did not return a message seeking comment.