A GOP candidate for California Assembly has sued the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) alleging that a dozen heavily-armed agents raided his home, terrorized, and harassed him after he attended the Jan. 6, 2021 rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. in support of former President Donald Trump.
Siaka Massaquoi filed the class action lawsuit on Oct. 29, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
“FBI agents came to my house on June 10th of last year at 5:45 a.m. with their guns drawn,” Massaquoi told the Southern California Record. “They cuffed me, my best friend, and grabbed my two godsons who were living with me at the time as well as two other roommates who they cuffed and removed, which is crazy because the warrant they had was only for me."
Massaquoi, who relocated to Los Angeles 14 years ago from Chicago, is currently residing in North Hollywood and campaigning for an Assembly seat representing the 43rd District in the San Fernando Valley including Burbank and Glendale.
“The FBI raiding my home definitely had a huge impact on me wanting to do more,” he said. “As my anger and frustration built, it meant that I needed to get involved in politics. We've gone to rallies. We've held protests but unless you’re fighting in their arena, they don't hear you. This shouldn't be happening to citizens. What can I do to protect them and, more importantly, what can I do in order to build up this neighborhood we live in? California is really lost.”
In his complaint, Massaquoi is alleging violations of privacy, violations of the U.S. Constitution, and is demanding the return of his laptop, personal computer, cellphone, and other devices that were seized.
"While there were some people who chose to enter and engage in acts of violence in the U.S. Capitol, Plaintiff Massaquoi was not among those involved in any such conduct," the complaint states. "All Plaintiff Massaquoi did was exercise his right to peacefully assemble and protest under the First Amendment to the Constitution. Defendants' actions against Massaquoi and others similarly situated were acts of threat and intimidation to warn U.S. citizens to conform and obey an all-powerful government establishment. The Defendants, acting in concert, are retaliating against and seeking to further retaliate against the Plaintiff Massaquoi and those similarly situated for their expression of political viewpoints at the January 6, 2021 demonstrations in Washington, D.C. and generally."
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson in the Central District dismissed Massaquoi's complaint on April 11.
"Plaintiff's complaint, which compares the FBI to the Third Reich and alleges that Director Wray has turned the FBI into his own personal 'Secret Police' or 'Gestapo' to target people who were protesting in the District of Columbia on January 6th, fails to plausibly state how Director Wray violated plaintiff's Constitutional rights. Thus, even though the plaintiff's complaint brought these claims against director Wray in his individual capacity, the complaint failed," Wilson wrote in his order of dismissal.
Massaquoi, an actor who starred in NCIS: Los Angeles, S.W.A.T., and the Netflix series Ratched, filed the lawsuit pro se.
“I think the FBI came after me because of the profile that I was building as a black conservative who worked in Hollywood and who has had marginal success,” he added. “I called Hollywood out for the racism and the bigotry that the left actually shows consistently. When you Google me, you’ll notice that I am an actor but also that I was raided by the FBI. People are afraid to work with me now because they think the FBI is going to track them, too.”