is the largest FBI operation in history.

More# than 1,200 people have been charged and over## 900 convicted so far, and hundreds more charges# are expected before the investigation concludes.

But it has stretched the bureau's resources,# and it's often had to rely on the work of a## bipartisan group of citizen investigators# who came to be known as sedition hunters.

Judy Woodruff spoke with one of these anonymous## sleuths as part of her ongoing# series America a SANDY, Citizen Investigator: In the beginning,# it was intense.

I would drop my children off## at school, I would come home, and I# would be on it almost like a workday.

And then once the kids were in# bed, I was up until 2:00, 3:00,## 4:00, and then waking up a couple hours# later.

It takes its toll, definitely.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Sandy, like many Americans,# was paying close attention January 6, 2021.

DONALD TRUMP, Former President of# the United States (R) and Current## and if you don't fight l JUDY WOODRUFF: As an angry mob# of then-President Donald Trump## supporters violently broke through police# lines and stormed the Capi RIOTERS: Hang Mike Pence!

Hang# Mike Pence!

Hang Mike Pence!

"Shots have been fired," and I don't thin JUDY WOODRUFF: In the following days, Sandy, not# her real name, joined a massive citizen effort## to identify the individuals who broke into# the Capitol.

She's been directly responsible## for helping to put people behind bars, and she now# has to hide her identity, for fear of retaliation.

SANDY: One of the more insidious# ones would be a J6er who is yet## to be arrested.

He started sending me# like, videos of him racking his gun.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Sandy is today part of an informal# community of dozens of ordinary Americans who## came to be known as sedition hunters.

Over# time, they developed their own methodologies,## guidelines, even a software application# to keep track of every individual rioter,## giving each one a pseudonym and compiling# dossiers of evidence that they then turned## over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,# along with the rioters' real identity.

SANDY: One of the first things is just getting a# face.

And there is one rioter, #OrangeGoggleSpiker## is his hashtag, you can see him in the tunnel# section of the Capitol beating up the officers.

Eventually, when I found his face, we# were able to plug it into some facial## recognition software.

That popped# up a picture of him at his work.

(LAUGHTER) Scott Miller, which they submitted to the FBI,## along with evidence of his actions on# January 6.

He has since been arrested.

RYAN REILLY, NBC News Justice Reporter: One# of the sedition hunters pages has all these## images that shows you who's been identified,# who has not.

So you see like a th e blue here, are the people who've been# identified already, but not get arrested JUDY WOODRUFF: Also following the investigation# closely is Ryan Reilly an NBC News repor new book, "Sedition Hunters: How January# 6th Broke the Justice System," spells out## how the FBI has struggled to investigate the# thousands of people who stormed the Capitol.

RYAN REILLY: The FBI was so overwhelmed# with the number of tips that they were## receiving.

They had received hundreds of# thousands of tips.

And now you th e FBI going to the sleuths, saying, hey,# can you help us out?

We charge th we want to make sure we got everything that he# did that day.

Can you give us a full report?

They don't have the technological capabilities# that they need to really pull this together.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Is the FBI that# far behind in terms of technology?

RYAN REILLY: They really just are sort# of behind on open-source intelligence.## One of the jokes within the FBI is# yesterday's technology tomorrow.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Reilly says it's estimated that# about 3,000 people unlawfully entered the damaged property or assaulted police officers# on January 6.

The FBI has charged more than## 1,200 of them so far, but the citizen sleuths have# identified and submitted tips on about 1,000 more.

RYAN REILLY: They're not going to be able to# get the number of people who could actually be## charged with crimes on January 6.

We're going# to end this investigation when st atute of limitations expires with people# who are identified, but not yet arrested.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The FBI said in a# statement that each tip is only the## beginning of an investigation and that# they are working diligently to gather## sufficient evidence for prosecutors# to bring charges in these cases.

The FBI did not address the question# of whether its technology is outdated,## but acknowledged that its work has been --# quote -- "greatly assisted by the many tips## provided by the public" -- end quote, adding# it hopes these tips continue to come in.

But Reilly says the FBI's technology isn't the## only reason for what he calls# a backlog of January 6 cases.

RYAN REILLY: We do have a lot of people# within the FBI who are not so enthusiastic## about bringing these cases against people# who attacked the Capitol on January 6.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Are there still# people in the FBI not enthusiastic?

RYAN REILLY: There are, and I say that because# some of these have come out and said that publicly.

They have# resigned from the FBI because of these cases.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Reilly points out that,# in addition to current and former law## enforcement officials pushing conspiracy# theories, members of Congress have investigations into January 6 and also contributed# to misinformation about what happened that day.

REP. MATT GAETZ: Some of the people# who breached the Capitol today## were not Trump supporters.

They were# masquerading a in fact, were members of the# violent terrorist group Antifa.

JUDY WOODRUFF: These included the new speaker# of the House, Mike Johnson, who in the run-up## to January 6 took the lead in filing a lawsuit# to overturn the 2020 presidential election## results.

He has said he plans to make public video# footage from January 6, but with faces blurred.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We have to# blur some of the faces of persons who## participated in the events of# that day because we don't want## them to be retaliated against# and to be charged by the DOJ.

SANDY: If he's going to blur# the faces because he's afraid## that sedition hunters are going to# identify more criminals, go fo buddy.

Like, it doesn't matter to# us.

We can look at their clothing.

JUDY WOODRUFF: This is the largest federal# investigation ever undertaken.

And although## Sandy is at the heart of it, having# helped identify hundreds of rioters,## almost nobody in her life knows about her work.

SANDY: People want to know what you have been up# to, and you you want to say, and you can't.

I will just# default to the kids and what they JUDY WOODRUFF: You're not# getting paid for this, are you?

SANDY: No.

No.

I haven't gotten yo ur neighbors, your fellow citizens# dedicating their time, their money,## and their energy in holding people accountable.

We have some that voted for Trump, and# then after J6 were disgusted by it,## because they took the peaceful transfer# of power and just stomped all over it,## literally.

And then they# called themselves patriots.

CYNTHIA MILLER-IDRISS, American# University: I wish we were in## a wo we're in a world where the FBI doesn't have# the resources to do these investigations.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Cynthia Miller-Idriss is# the director of American University's## Polarization and Extremism# Research and Innovation Lab.

CYNTHIA MILLER-IDRISS: We don't have# the capacity in any law enforcement## agency to handle a surge of political# violence or hate-fueled violence whe that -- when it's driven by misinformation that# is believed by millions and millions of people.

JUDY WOODRUFF: She says now that members of the# public are engaging in violent extremist acts,## it's a far greater challenge for law# enforcement to prevent and to counter.

CYNTHIA MILLER-IDRISS: It's no longer just on# the fringes when you're talking about people## in the mainstream spontaneously taking# up violent action for a poli And I know everyone in my field is watching# the year to come with a lot of concern.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Although she says she believes# the prosecutions in the January 6 investigation## have degraded the ability of extremist# groups to organize mass mobilizations,## Professor Miller-Idriss says that# the focus must expand to addressing## the root causes of extremism,# where radical beliefs originate.

CYNTHIA MILLER-IDRISS: We put almost all# of our eggs in the basket of Department of## Justice and think that the security side# of it will solve it.

It has to but so does the Department of Education# and agencies that work with youths,## that work with the elderly, that# work with digital and media literacy.

SANDY: I would like to have an ability to counter## this disinformation that led us# there.

It's incredibly frustrating.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Sandy has seen the effects of# disinformation firsthand in her own family.

SANDY: I haven't spoken to a few of my cousins# since January 6 because they support it.

We're## divided, and I don't know how to pull us back# together.

I don't know how it's going to change.

JUDY WOODRUFF: For the "PBS NewsHour,"# I'm Judy Woodruff in Washington, D.C.