Duncan Slade Published

Morgantown Man Denied Bail Again On Capitol Riot Charges

George Tanios

George Tanios, a Morgantown resident and owner of Sandwich University, will remain behind bars pending trial on charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Tanios and Julian Khatar of Pennsylvania face 10 felony counts, including conspiring to injure police. The two men were arrested by federal law enforcement in March and were denied bail in a joint hearing Tuesday.

During a March hearing in West Virginia, prosecutors said Tanios purchased bear and pepper spray at a Morgantown store before the two men traveled to Washington, D.C.

According to court documents, Tanios handed chemical spray to Khatar who then used it on U.S. Capitol Police. One officer, Brian Sicknick, suffered two strokes and died of natural causes the next day, the District’s medical examiner said in a ruling released last month.

Tanios had previously been denied bail in March by a West Virginia federal judge.