Federal authorities investigating individuals involved in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol received an assist from an unlikely source this week, with employees of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder helping investigators identify a woman accused of entering the Capitol Complex unlawfully.
Danielle Nicole Doyle—who was previously employed by the Thunder—became at least the second Oklahoman to be charged in connection with the Capitol siege; two of Doyle’s former colleagues saw her in videos posted online and contacted the FBI.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Washington, D.C. federal court, the first witness to contact the bureau, identified only as “Witness 1,” was Doyle’s coworker “when they both worked for a professional sports team in Oklahoma City.” Witness 1 recognized Doyle after a friend sent a video of the riots. A second witness (“Witness 2”), who appears to currently work for the Thunder, identified Doyle during an interview with federal authorities after she and several other Thunder employees “circulated” video footage of Jan. 6 amongst themselves.
“Witness 2 advised that Witness 2 works for the same professional sports team in Oklahoma City and had previously worked with Danielle Nicole Doyle, when Doyle worked for the professional sports team,” the criminal complaint stated. “Witness 2 recalled that following the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, employees of the professional sports team circulated a video that CNN had aired. The video was of individuals inside the U.S. Capitol during the breaching of the Capitol. Witness 2 obtained a copy of the video and identified Doyle as one of the individuals in the video.”
The videos allegedly show Doyle climbing through a broken window to enter the Capitol building and walking down an interior staircase in the building known as the “Supreme Court Chambers stairs.” She appeared to film herself with a cell phone.
Law&Crime reached out to the Oklahoma City Thunder regarding the circumstances of the case against Doyle, but we did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Doyle faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, knowingly engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Read the full criminal complaint below:
USA v Doyle Affidavit Complaint by Law&Crime on Scribd
[image via criminal complaint]
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