Overview
- Federal prosecutors on December 4 identified and charged Brian Cole Jr. with planting pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC in Washington, D.C., on January 5, 2021.
- Charging documents allege Cole began buying bomb parts by May 2019 and that his phone data placed him near both headquarters when the devices were set.
- A fact check found claims that Cole Jr. sued DHS over immigration were incorrect, clarifying that lawsuits were filed by a family bail-bond company led by his father and concerned bond-breach procedures, which the D.C. Circuit rejected on November 10, 2020.
- Public materials and records link the Coles to bail-bond businesses that provided immigration bonds, including StateWide Bonding and Free U Bonds, which list connected addresses and corporate ties.
- In April 2025, the Tennessee Court of Appeals affirmed sanctions against the family’s bail-bond business for repeated misconduct, including findings that the elder Cole misrepresented past bankruptcies and tax liens.