FBI
- The FBI tweeted a photo of a woman in a pink beret allegedly rioting at the Capitol on April 27.
- That weekend, the woman's former partner contacted the FBI, NBC reported.
- He said the woman was interested in far-right politics and read Hitler's "Mein Kampf."
A Los Angeles-based clothing designer was waiting at the checkout line of a Joann Fabric and Crafts store when he learned his ex-girlfriend was wanted by the FBI for allegedly rioting at the Capitol on January 6, NBC News reported.
The designer, who asked the news outlet not to be named for fear of harassment, said his friend showed him a picture of a viral tweet from the FBI while he was about to make a purchase last weekend.
The April 27 tweet showed a close-up photograph of a short-haired woman in a distinct pink beret. The woman "allegedly participated in the US Capitol riots," the FBI wrote, asking people to call the agency's tipline or visit the website.
—FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) April 27, 2023
"I stopped dead in my tracks," the designer told NBC News. "I'm like, 'That's Jenny.'"
That weekend, the designer submitted a tip. On Monday, the bureau contacted the designer and confirmed she was the woman they were investigating. The FBI confirmed on Friday to NBC News that the woman in the pink beret was Jennifer Inzuza Vargas of Los Angeles.
Since January 6, 2021, the US government has been on a wide-scale effort to prosecute those who participated in the riot. At least 1,003 people have been charged in connection to the insurrection.
That effort from federal investigators has included scanning endless hours of surveillance footage and searching through hotel and phone records and social media posts. But some accused participants were caught under more unusual circumstances.
In a similar case, an ex turned in her former partner, Richard Michetti, after he called her a "moron" for not supporting Donald Trump.
According to NBC News, after the designer saw the call for help from the FBI, he wrote in a now-deleted Twitter post: "I use to date this girl in 2019 LOL." He also attached a photo of Vargas.
The man told NBC News that he met Vargas online around late 2018. Months later, Vargas began to reveal her more far-right politics and her interest in Hitler's "Mein Kampf," the designer told the outlet.
"I was just instantly turned off, like, 'Yo, I don't think this is going to work out,'" he told NBC News. "You're, like, reading 'Mein Kampf,' you think immigrants don't deserve X, Y, Z."
The designer told the outlet his "heart hurts" for Vargas but also found humor in the situation.
"It's just going to be one of those things for me," the designer told NBC News. "I dated this girl that was on the FBI's most wanted list."
A spokesperson for Joann Fabric and Crafts did not respond to a request for comment submitted outside of working hours.