TOMS RIVER, NJ – A political operative linked to the Ocean County GOP, Anna Lichnowski, previously of Brick Township, has been charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in connection with the January 6th incident at the U.S. Capitol building.
Lichnowski, who had alleged election fraud in Brick Township in 2021, is facing charges related to her alleged participation in the Capitol events. The FBI was tipped off by an anonymous source about Lichnowski’s involvement. Upon investigation, agents found photos Lichnowski had posted of herself inside the Capitol. Multiple images were subsequently cited in the FBI’s complaint against her.
Further examination of the Capitol’s CCTV footage confirmed Lichnowski’s presence inside the building. Additionally, the FBI traced her stay in Washington, D.C., through hotel records from the State Plaza Hotel.
She now faces charges for knowingly entering restricted buildings or grounds and engaging in disruptive conduct.
Back in 2021, Lichnowski, an active GOP operative in Ocean County, raised allegations of election fraud after discovering a malfunctioning video camera at the Brick Township Town Hall. This camera was intended to monitor a vote-by-mail drop box managed by the county.
State law mandates that mail-in ballot drop boxes be under 24/7 camera surveillance. Lichnowski, suspicious of the 2021 election results in Brick, began investigating and raising concerns. According to a 2020 law signed by Governor Phil Murphy, ballot drop boxes must be located in areas with security cameras ensuring round-the-clock video surveillance. The law specifies considerations for camera mounting, footage storage, and related concerns if the drop box is placed in another agency’s facility or a private one.
The county’s subsequent investigation attributed the camera issue to a technical malfunction. They have since relocated the ballot box for upcoming elections to a more dependable site at the Ocean County Library branch in Brick Township.
Officials later concluded that Lichnowski’s election fraud claims were baseless.