Case research guide — January 6, 2021
Jan 6th Riot Arrest Records
How to search January 6 Capitol riot arrests, federal criminal charges, court dockets, archived Justice Department records, and the 2025 presidential pardons and commutations.
An independent records-access guide. Not a government arrest database or a live list of defendants.
Quick answer: The most authoritative way to research Jan 6th riot arrests is to find the federal criminal case in PACER, preferably in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. For an easier historical name search, use the NPR January 6 archive or preserved Justice Department records, then verify important results against court filings.
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation granting pardons, commuting 14 specified sentences, and directing the Attorney General to pursue dismissal of pending January 6-related federal indictments. Historical arrest and court records may still exist. Read the proclamation.
Where Can You Find January 6 Riot Arrest Records?
The January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol resulted in federal criminal investigations and prosecutions involving people arrested in different states and on different dates.
These records are not organized like a single county jail roster. They include federal complaints, arrest warrants, indictments, criminal case dockets, judgments, and later clemency or dismissal records.
There are four practical starting points.
Which is best? Start with NPR or the preserved DOJ archive when you have a name but no case number. Use PACER when you need an authoritative docket, court order, judgment, or other filed document. CourtListener is a useful free alternative when it has a copy.
2026 access change: The Justice Department’s former Capitol Breach Cases directory is no longer a reliable live lookup. Historical DOJ prosecution pages were removed from the department’s website during 2025–2026. Preserved copies help with research, but official court filings should be used for authoritative case status.
How to Search Jan 6th Riot Arrests in PACER
PACER stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records. It is the federal judiciary’s system for obtaining electronic court case information.
Many January 6 federal prosecutions were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. When you know the correct federal case, its docket is the starting point for checking filings and later decisions.
Step-by-step federal case search
- Open the official PACER website.
Visit Find a Case and choose the appropriate search option.
- Register or sign in.
A PACER account is required for online case searching. Registration itself is free, but viewing searches and documents can create fees. Follow the official account-activation instructions.
- Choose the federal court.
If you know the matter was prosecuted in Washington, D.C., select the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Otherwise use the nationwide PACER Case Locator.
- Enter the party name or docket number.
Use the complete recorded name if known. A docket number can help distinguish one criminal proceeding from another.
- Review the returned case information.
Confirm the court, party name, docket number, filing date, and case type. Do not assume a name match concerns the same person without supporting identifiers.
- Open the docket report.
Look for the complaint, indictment, motions, pleas, judgments, dismissal orders, and later entries relevant to the case.
- Check for clemency and post-2025 entries.
Review the most recent available docket history for any pardon-related filing, commutation effects, dismissal, amended judgment, or other court order. Read the actual order where accessible.
- Save the proper citation.
Record the court name, case number, docket entry number and filing date so you can return to the same document without repeating a broad paid search.
What does a federal docket number mean?
A federal criminal case number generally identifies the year the case was filed, the criminal case type, a sequential identifier, and sometimes a judge or other administrative code.
Do not confuse the docket filing year with the January 6 event date. A case arising from January 6, 2021, may have been filed in 2021, 2022, 2023, or a later year.
What if you only have a first and last name?
Use the PACER Case Locator to find potential federal cases. It returns court and case-number information that can then be used to open the court-specific docket.
If several people share the same name, examine the relevant filings and identifiers carefully. The name alone may not establish identity.
For legal case status, the docket is more authoritative than a historical news article or arrest database.
How quickly is PACER updated?
Records filed in an individual court’s case-management system may become available promptly once entered. The nationwide PACER Case Locator is generally updated daily, so it may not reflect new court activity immediately.
How to Search Archived DOJ January 6 Arrest Records
The Department of Justice formerly maintained a Capitol Breach Cases directory that listed people charged in federal court in connection with January 6, 2021.
Historical versions contained defendant names, case numbers, charges, and links to Justice Department releases or supporting filings. The Library of Congress web archive documents that original government resource.
Because the original index and many related releases were subsequently removed, archival copies are particularly useful for historical research.
Three ways to locate preserved case information
Method A: NPR’s January 6 case database
The NPR Capitol Charges archive provides a searchable historical collection of federal cases connected to the event.
- Open the archive’s database page.
- Enter the full or partial name in the search field.
- Review the matching records and summary information.
- Compare the charges and available dated case updates.
- Record a case number or follow supporting document links where available.
- Verify the relevant legal outcome using the federal court docket.
NPR’s database is a journalistic research resource, not the official court’s live docket. Its archived material and summaries may reflect specific collection and update dates.
Method B: Lawfare’s preserved DOJ archive
The Lawfare January 6 DOJ Archive Search provides full-text searching of recovered Justice Department material.
Search by a name, alleged charge, state, or phrase. Where available, compare the recovered government document with the federal court record.
The project describes itself as a reconstruction of removed DOJ material. It also acknowledges that mistakes and omissions are possible. It should therefore be used as an archival research aid rather than the final authority on a person’s legal status.
Method C: Library of Congress web archives
The Library of Congress has a preserved web-archive record for the original DOJ Capitol Breach Cases site.
Visit the Library of Congress archive entry and select an available capture. The captured content represents a point in time rather than a continuously updated case database.
Historical-source warning: A DOJ release published in 2022 may describe an arrest or indictment as it existed in 2022. It does not independently establish the person’s status after the January 20, 2025, clemency proclamation. Always compare the date of the original document with later court filings.
Can you still use old FBI wanted photographs?
Older FBI identification and wanted pages circulated during the original investigation. Some historical pages have since been removed or redirected.
Do not assume that an old wanted poster or image confirms a currently active arrest warrant, charge or investigation. Check the FBI’s current official wanted listings and any relevant federal court record.
What Happened to January 6 Arrest Cases After the 2025 Pardons?
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation addressing federal offenses relating to events at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The proclamation used three different legal mechanisms. Understanding the distinction is essential when researching January 6 arrest and conviction records.
| Action | Who or What It Addressed | Meaning for Records |
|---|---|---|
| Commutation | Sentences of 14 named individuals were commuted to time served. | Changed the sentence rather than automatically erasing the underlying conviction. |
| Pardon | Other individuals convicted of covered January 6-related offenses. | Granted federal executive clemency; a pardon does not itself expunge the conviction. |
| Dismissal directive | Pending indictments for covered January 6-related conduct. | Directed the Attorney General to pursue dismissal with prejudice. The particular docket documents the court’s action. |
These distinctions come from the official presidential proclamation and the Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney guidance.
Does a pardon remove an arrest or conviction from the record?
No, not automatically. The Office of the Pardon Attorney explains that a presidential pardon does not erase or expunge a federal conviction. The conviction and pardon may both remain part of the record.
Expungement is a separate judicial remedy. It should not be assumed simply because executive clemency has been granted.
What is the difference between a pardon and commutation?
A pardon is a form of executive clemency addressing a federal offense. Commutation reduces or modifies a sentence without itself vacating the underlying conviction.
The January 20, 2025, proclamation specifically commuted the sentences of 14 named individuals to time served and granted pardons to the other individuals covered by its conviction-related provision.
What does dismissal with prejudice mean?
In general, a dismissal with prejudice prevents the government from prosecuting the same dismissed charge again in the same proceeding. The specific effect depends on the order and applicable law.
For an individual January 6 case, check the actual court docket rather than assuming the wording or timing of the final order.
Were all criminal allegations automatically erased?
No. A clemency proclamation is not a process for deleting every investigative document, arrest record, court filing, or historical account.
Its coverage also should not be assumed to extend automatically to every unrelated offense or nonfederal case involving the same individual. Consult the controlling proclamation and the applicable case record.
How can someone request a January 6 pardon certificate?
The Office of the Pardon Attorney provides a specific process for people covered by the January 20, 2025, proclamation.
- Open the official pardon certificate guidance.
- Use the subject line specified by the office: January 20, 2025 Pardon Certificate.
- Provide the full name, district court case number, and prison register number if applicable.
- Submit the request to the official email address provided on that DOJ page.
- Allow at least ten business days for processing, according to the office’s published instructions.
The certificate process is intended for people seeking proof of their own covered clemency. It is not a general-purpose third-party criminal background-check system.
What Types of Jan 6th Riot Arrest Records Are Available?
Federal criminal proceedings create several types of records. Each document answers a different question about an investigation or court case.
| Document | What It Explains | Important Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal complaint | The alleged offense and the factual basis presented to support an initial charge. | Contains allegations, not a finding of guilt. |
| Statement of facts or affidavit | Evidence and information presented by investigators. | May be preliminary, contested, or incomplete. |
| Arrest warrant or return | A judicial authorization or record associated with an arrest. | An issued warrant alone does not prove an arrest occurred. |
| Indictment or information | The criminal charges formally presented in federal court. | Charges may later change or be dismissed. |
| Plea or verdict | A recorded plea or decision after a trial. | Read the relevant counts and any later orders. |
| Judgment | The court’s recorded outcome and sentence when applicable. | May be modified by later proceedings or clemency. |
| Dismissal order | A court’s decision terminating specified charges or proceedings. | The language and scope of the order matter. |
| Pardon or commutation | Executive clemency applicable to covered federal offenses or sentences. | Does not automatically expunge historical court records. |
What is the difference between an arrest and a criminal charge?
An arrest is the act of taking an individual into custody. A charge is an allegation of a criminal offense made through the relevant legal process.
Someone may be charged without immediately being arrested, and a federal case may proceed through multiple stages before reaching a final disposition.
Where should you look for an arrest date?
An initial DOJ release or criminal complaint may identify the date and location of an arrest. The federal docket may contain records of an initial appearance or related proceedings.
Because arrests occurred in different jurisdictions and on different dates, January 6, 2021, is not the arrest date for every defendant connected to the event.
Where can you check the final charge or sentence?
Review the judgment and later docket entries. If a case includes multiple charges, confirm which counts resulted in convictions, which were dismissed, and whether any later legal action changed the recorded outcome.
January 6 Arrest and Prosecution Timeline
Understanding the chronology makes archived records easier to interpret. The event, arrests, prosecutions, and clemency actions occurred at different times.
A crowd breached the U.S. Capitol while Congress was meeting to count Electoral College votes. Criminal investigations and related federal prosecutions followed.
The Justice Department described its public Capitol breach case directory, which included defendant names, case numbers, charges, and case-status information.
Federal investigators and prosecutors pursued cases over several years. Defendants entered pleas, appeared at trials, received judgments, or had charges resolved through other court actions.
In one of its final pre-clemency updates, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia reported that more than 1,583 individuals had been charged in connection with the Capitol breach investigation.
President Trump issued the clemency proclamation granting pardons to covered convicted individuals, commuting 14 specified sentences, and directing pursuit of dismissals of pending covered indictments.
The historical DOJ case directory and many prosecution releases became unavailable on the agency’s public website. Independent archives preserved copies of substantial portions of the former material.
For historical research, use preserved collections to locate a case and consult federal court records for the latest available case-specific legal documentation.
About historical counts: The Justice Department’s figure of more than 1,583 charged individuals referred to its investigation as reported on January 17, 2025. It is not a count of people currently arrested, wanted, incarcerated, or serving sentences in November 2026.
How to Obtain Court Documents and What PACER Costs
Many federal filings are public, but online access is not always free. PACER’s fee model depends on the number of pages generated by searches or documents.
| Access Type | Published Fee | What to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Account registration | Free | A registered account is required for online case searches. |
| Electronic record access | $0.10 per page | Charges depend on the pages generated, including certain search results. |
| Most individual documents | Up to $3 per document | Some reports and transcripts are excluded from this cap. |
| Quarterly fee waiver | Charges of $30 or less waived | The waiver is assessed for eligible quarterly usage. |
| Viewing at courthouse terminal | Generally free to view | Printing and other services may carry fees. |
Check the official PACER fee explanation before running broad searches. A search with no matching results can still generate a billable page.
How to reduce unnecessary PACER charges
- Find the correct case number from a free public source before opening PACER.
- Search the known court directly when you have identified the jurisdiction.
- Limit the docket report to relevant dates when the search system provides that option.
- Review document descriptions before opening large filings.
- Check whether the same public document is available through CourtListener’s RECAP archive.
- Keep the case number and docket entry reference for future searches.
Can you get court records for free?
Some public documents are accessible through CourtListener’s RECAP archive. Its collection is extensive but not a guaranteed complete copy of PACER.
The federal court also provides public-access terminals where case records can generally be viewed without an electronic access charge. Printing may cost extra.
Can you request federal court records through FOIA?
Not through the ordinary federal Freedom of Information Act procedure. FOIA applies to executive-branch agency records, not records maintained by the federal courts.
For federal judicial filings, use PACER or contact the court clerk. For separate executive-branch records held by a federal agency, review that agency’s FOIA procedure and applicable exemptions.
How to Understand January 6 Case Status After Clemency
Case-status terminology matters. A historical entry marked charged, guilty, sentenced, pardoned, or dismissed may refer to different events and dates.
Charged
A criminal charge is an accusation filed through the appropriate legal process. It does not establish guilt.
Pending
A pending case is one that has not reached a final resolution in the relevant proceeding. An old archive may retain a pending label after later court action.
Convicted
A conviction may result from a guilty plea or trial verdict. Examine the particular counts and the judgment rather than relying on a general summary.
Sentenced
A sentence sets out the punishment imposed by a court after conviction. A sentence can later be modified by a court or affected by executive clemency.
Pardoned
A federal pardon grants executive clemency for a covered federal offense. It does not automatically delete the criminal case from court records.
Commuted
A commutation reduces or modifies a sentence. It does not itself erase the underlying judgment of conviction.
Dismissed
A dismissal terminates specified charges or proceedings. Review the court’s order to understand whether the dismissal was with prejudice, without prejudice, or otherwise qualified.
Example: A 2024 historical article may accurately state that an individual received a sentence. A 2025 pardon or commutation may later have changed the person’s legal position. Both records describe events at different times; only the appropriately dated current court record resolves the question you are asking.
Does an old arrest listing prove someone is currently detained?
No. The January 6 federal criminal records are primarily historical research material. They do not constitute a current jail or prison custody roster.
Do not interpret a historical arrest date, sentence or wanted notice as proof of present incarceration.
What If You Cannot Find a January 6 Arrest Record?
A missing result may reflect the search method, an unavailable archive page, a different recorded name, or a case that is not publicly accessible.
1. The old DOJ page has been removed
Try the preserved DOJ archive, Library of Congress capture, or NPR’s historical database. These are useful discovery sources, but court records remain the legal reference point.
2. You have a name but no case number
Search the free databases first. When you identify a likely case, note the docket number and court. Then verify it in PACER.
3. The name does not match
Try a full legal name, middle initial, or reasonable spelling variant. Do not assume that similarly named people are the same person.
4. The docket has no accessible document
Some filings are sealed, restricted, or unavailable through ordinary public access. Contact the Clerk’s Office of the relevant federal court for access guidance.
5. The case has a historical status only
Check for later court entries. A case summary originally prepared in 2023 may not reflect a 2025 pardon, dismissal or other subsequent action.
6. The arrest occurred outside Washington, D.C.
An individual may have been arrested in a different state before appearing in federal court for the District of Columbia. Search the federal criminal docket for the prosecution rather than relying solely on the place of arrest.
7. You need records held by a different agency
Federal court filings, FBI investigative records, state arrest records, and local detention documents are not the same repository. Identify the agency holding the particular record before choosing a request process.
8. You need an official certified copy
An archived news release or downloaded docket PDF may not satisfy a legal requirement for certified records. Ask the relevant court clerk about certified copies and applicable fees.
Federal Court Location for January 6 Criminal Records
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia handled the principal federal prosecutions arising from the Capitol breach. Its Clerk’s Office is the appropriate institutional contact for questions about accessing court documents maintained in that court.
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Courthouse
- E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse
- Address
- 333 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001 - Clerk’s Office
- 202-354-3000
- Criminal Help Desk
- 202-354-3060
- Records
- 202-354-3080
- Official Website
- dcd.uscourts.gov
Open Courthouse Map and Directions ↗
Can you visit the court to inspect records?
The courthouse provides public-access services through its Clerk’s Office, subject to applicable rules, security requirements, restrictions, and service availability.
The court’s published location guidance identifies public entrances through the John Marshall Park area or the Third Street entrance. Confirm the current visitor requirements before travelling.
Should you visit in person?
Start online with PACER or the court’s published instructions. Contact the Clerk’s Office first if you need an older document, a certified record, or assistance locating a specific docket.
Related Arrest Records and Research Guides
January 6 federal cases differ from ordinary county jail bookings. If you are searching a different jurisdiction or record type, begin by identifying whether the information is held by a local sheriff, state corrections department, or federal court.
The website’s live article directory and sitemap could not be confirmed during preparation, so additional unverified post URLs have not been inserted. For searches involving ordinary county bookings, use the relevant agency’s official inmate roster rather than this historical federal prosecution guide.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jan 6th Riot Arrests
Where can I find the January 6 riot arrest list?
Start with NPR’s historical January 6 federal case database or a preserved DOJ case archive. For authoritative federal criminal case records, search PACER by party name or case number.
Is the original DOJ Capitol Breach Cases database still available?
The former live DOJ directory is no longer a reliable source for direct browsing. Preserved versions are available through archival projects and the Library of Congress. Use PACER to confirm court filings and case outcomes.
Can I search January 6 arrest records by name?
Yes. NPR’s historical database and Lawfare’s preserved archive support name searches. PACER also permits searching federal case information by party name through its court systems or nationwide Case Locator.
How many people were charged in connection with January 6?
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia reported that more than 1,583 individuals had been charged as of January 17, 2025. That historical count is not a present-day arrest or custody total.
Were all January 6 defendants pardoned?
The January 20, 2025, presidential proclamation provided pardons for covered convicted individuals, commutations for 14 named people, and a directive to pursue dismissal of pending covered indictments. The individual case and the proclamation should be reviewed to determine the specific legal effect.
Do January 6 pardons erase arrest records?
No. A presidential pardon does not automatically expunge a federal conviction. Historical court and investigative records may remain accessible, subject to disclosure rules and court orders.
What is the difference between a pardon and commutation?
A pardon grants executive clemency for a covered offense. A commutation reduces or modifies the sentence without independently erasing the underlying conviction.
Where can I check a January 6 criminal case outcome?
Use PACER to find the federal docket and review the judgment, dismissal order, or other later entry. Historical news summaries alone may not reflect changes after January 20, 2025.
Are federal court records free?
Some records are available free through CourtListener’s RECAP archive or for viewing at courthouse public-access terminals. PACER normally charges $0.10 per billable page, with applicable caps and quarterly fee waivers.
Can I search January 6 arrest warrants?
Federal warrant-related documents may appear in public court records, although access to some materials is restricted. An old warrant or wanted poster does not establish that the warrant remains active.
Can I obtain January 6 booking photographs?
Some historic court exhibits, investigative materials, or news archives contain photographs. Availability varies. These are not a complete government mugshot roster, and a photograph does not establish guilt.
Why is someone’s January 6 case missing from a database?
Possible reasons include incomplete archival coverage, a spelling difference, restricted court records, a missing historical page, or an incorrect case identifier. Search the relevant federal court system before concluding that no case existed.
Can I use FOIA to obtain a federal court docket?
No. FOIA does not apply to the federal judiciary. Use PACER or contact the federal court clerk for judicial records. Separate executive-agency records may be subject to applicable FOIA procedures.
Where is the federal court that handled January 6 prosecutions?
The principal federal court is the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, located at 333 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001. The court’s Criminal Help Desk number is 202-354-3060.
Official Sources and Historical Archives
These sources support the procedures, historical facts, and clemency distinctions in this guide. Government sources should take precedence for legal interpretations and authoritative case status.
- U.S. Courts — PACER: Find a Federal Court Case. Official federal court searching and account guidance.
- U.S. Courts — PACER Fees: Electronic Records Pricing. Published page charges, caps, and waiver information.
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia: Official Court Website. Court services, records contacts and visitor instructions.
- White House: January 20, 2025 Clemency Proclamation. Primary document governing the announced clemency actions.
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney: January 6 Pardon Certificate Guidance and Clemency FAQs.
- DOJ, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia: January 17, 2025 Prosecution Update. Historical pre-clemency charged-person totals. Availability of older DOJ releases can vary.
- Library of Congress: Archived Capitol Breach Cases Website. Historical record of the former DOJ defendant directory.
- NPR: The Capitol Charges Archive. Independent historical case index with summaries and case references.
- Free Law Project: CourtListener RECAP Archive. Publicly available copies of collected federal court records.
- Lawfare Archive Project: Preserved DOJ January 6 Records. Independent reconstruction of removed historical DOJ pages.
- FOIA.gov: Freedom of Information Act Guidance. Explains the distinction between federal agency records and judicial records.
What Should You Do Next?
If you have a person’s name but no case number, search one of the historical archives first. Then record the docket number and use PACER to review the relevant official case documents.
If your main question is whether a sentence or conviction was affected by the January 20, 2025, proclamation, read the clemency text and check the individual case’s subsequent filings. Do not assume that an older arrest listing reflects the present legal situation.
The most reliable research method is to connect a historical archive entry to its original federal docket and distinguish the initial arrest from every later legal development.