A MAGA supporter dressed as Uncle Sam was arrested at Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair after police alleged he committed a lewd act.
Police documents reviewed by the Daily Beast show that Gian Rachtelli was charged with “lewd, indecent, or obscene acts” after three separate witnesses told police they observed what appeared to be a sexual act while watching a troupe of female circus performers.
Rachtelli, 54, has been identified online by supporters as the MAGA livestreamer known as “Manny,” who was broadcasting live from the event. The influencer’s most recent livestream from the day of the arrest cut off abruptly when police officers were shown approaching him, though there was no audio to capture what was being said. He has not posted since.
“False Report. Unfair Report. Wrongful Detention. Free Manny!” one X user wrote in response to word of Rachtelli’s arrest.
The acts allegedly took place in front of the Cirque Mechanics acrobatic show on the first day of the fair.
One witness said they were standing behind the man who was vaping and filming the female performers before placing his hand inside his pants in what the witness believed was a sexual act.
Another told police that Rachtelli “returned for the second show, and I saw him with his hand in his pants, likely doing what we all thought he was doing.”
And a third witness said they were “approached by a female member of the acrobat team who had noticed an older white male that was making her and other female performers uncomfortable.”
“They informed me that they noticed him making lewd gestures in his pants … while they were performing,” the witness said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Rachtelli for comment. D.C. activist Brianne Chapman, who goes by the moniker “Anarchy Princess,” posted on X that the man was “wearing an Uncle Sam costume” when he was busted.
Supporters quickly rallied behind the man online, insisting he was innocent.
“I’m standing by Manny 100%. He didn’t do this. He was live streaming the entire time, and the footage shows what happened before his arrest,” one said on Reddit.
“From everything I’ve seen, this appears to be an attempt to destroy his reputation, damage his livelihood, and silence someone because of his political views.”
The arrest is nonetheless the latest headache to plague Trump’s taxpayer-funded Great American State Fair, which has lurched from one controversy to another since it was announced as part of the administration’s America 250 celebrations.
Before the fair even opened, a string of performers—including Martina McBride, Young MC, Morris Day & The Time, Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli and others—publicly withdrew after learning of the event’s ties to the Trump administration.
Trump ultimately scrapped much of the planned concert lineup and instead headlined the opening himself.
The event has also faced criticism over its sparse crowds, scaled-back attractions, and heavy reliance on patriotic displays rather than traditional state fair staples.
Trump nonetheless launched the 16-day event with a MAGA rally on Wednesday night, telling the crowd: “America is back.”
“We’re the hottest country anywhere in the world,” he told his fans, some of whom left before his speech ended. “We’re respected by everybody. Nobody’s laughing at us anymore.”
