Man in Capitol Hill lectern photo out on bail

A Florida man spotted carrying a lectern belonging to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office in a widely circulated photo during the Capitol assault was released Monday on $25,000 bail. A federal magistrate judge in Tampa agreed to the release Monday at a brief hearing for Adam Johnson, 36, from the nearby community of Parrish.

Johnson was arrested Friday night on charges of government property theft, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and entering a restricted building without lawful authority, according to an arrest warrant. Johnson has not yet entered a plea to the charges, which were filed in Washington. He has to surrender his passport, observe travel restrictions and adhere to a curfew of 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

“This is a serious case,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Scruggs said at the hearing, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

“Everyone involved in the storming of the Capitol last week needs to be held accountable for their actions, including Mr. Johnson.”

Authorities say Pelosi’s offices were among those breached by the mob objecting to the election victory of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden over Republican President Donald Trump. Five people died in the violence. The photo circulated around the world after Wednesday's violent uprising showed a grinning, waving man identified as Johnson carrying the lectern through the Capitol rotunda with the clearly visible words “Seal of the Speaker United States House of Representatives.” Johnson is wearing a knit cap that says “Trump” on it. A second photo shows Johnson posing with a sign in the Capitol that says “closed to all tours.” Outside of the court, Johnson's attorneys did not deny the impact of the photo with the lectern.

"You have a photograph of our client, you know, in a building, you know, unauthorized to be there with, you know, what appears to be a podium or the lectern," commented attorney Dan Eckhard.

An FBI statement filed in federal court says Johnson was quickly identified by acquaintances through social media and that some people called in tips about his identity. Local media reports say Johnson is a stay-at-home dad who has five children with his wife, a physician. The wooden lectern, valued at about $1,000, was later recovered undamaged in a hallway on the Senate side of the Capitol, according to the FBI. Johnson has another court date Jan. 19 in Washington, where his case will be prosecuted.