Baltimore, Maryland – Elias Nick Costianes, Jr., a 43-year-old man from Nottingham, Maryland, has been charged in a federal indictment for his alleged involvement in a drug conspiracy and firearms case.
According to the indictment, Costianes was previously charged in Washington, D.C. for his alleged participation in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. However, he is now facing new charges in Maryland for his alleged role in a drug conspiracy and possession of firearms by an unlawful user of any controlled substance.
The indictment alleges that on January 8, 2021, the FBI received an online tip reporting that Costianes had used a mobile social media application to broadcast videos of his participation in the Capitol riot. Based on the video evidence, an arrest warrant was issued for Costianes, and a search warrant was executed at his residence on February 12, 2021.
During the search warrant execution, law enforcement recovered Costianes’s cellphone, which was located within arms’ reach of Costianes, and four firearms: a 9mm pistol; a M&P 15 semi-automatic rifle; a .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle; and a shotgun. The 9mm pistol and M&P 15 semi-automatic rifle were registered to Costianes, but the other two firearms were not.
Officers also found 9mm, .22-caliber, .223 caliber, and shotgun ammunition, and recovered three vials of testosterone enanthate and one vial of testosterone cypionate, both controlled substances. In the cushions of the living room couch where Costianes had been observed during the search warrant execution, officers found a used hypodermic needle.
Costianes was released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services after his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. The case is being prosecuted by the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
The indictment alleges that Costianes’s phone allegedly contained screen captures of text message conversations between Costianes and other individuals containing slang terms for quantities and types of cocaine and other references to weights of controlled substances, including “Eights,” which refers to an eighth of an ounce, usually of cocaine, and “QP’s,” which refers to quarter pounds, usually in the context of marijuana.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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