Alexander Bennett Sheppard

Case Summary

Days before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Alexander Sheppard updated his Facebook status. “Millions of us will be in Washington D.C. on January 6th to protest the RIGGED election and the acts of WAR that China committed on our country," it said, according to court documents. "I’ll see you there!” In photographs and videos from Jan. 6, Sheppard can allegedly be seen roaming inside the Capitol with others. When FBI investigators attempted to interview Sheppard in the weeks following the riot, he said he wanted a lawyer before answering questions, but did say, according to an FBI affidavit, that he had driven from Ohio to Washington, D.C., to protest the “rigged election.”

Case History

Sheppard pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. In a Jury trial on 1/26/2023, he was found Guilty on five charges: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding, Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds, Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds, Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building, Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building; and Not Guilty on one charge: Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress. Sentenced on 9/5/2023 to 19 months incarceration; 24 months of supervised release; Special assessment of $170; Fine of $1,000; Restitution of $2,000. Sheppard received a full pardon on January 20, 2025

Sources

• Primary Documentation
  NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR
• Primary Documentation
  Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR

Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.