Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 45
- Location
- Southgate, Michigan
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; 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. 12/19/2024: Civil Disorder
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
Case Summary
Anthony Robert Williams was initially identified when a witness contacted the FBI and cellular data was used to locate him inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court documents. Agents later retrieved Williams’ personal camera, where pictures and videos could be seen of him walking around the building. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” he says on one video. “We took this f***ing building,” he reportedly says on a different one. According to the FBI, Williams also discussed on tape having “stormed” the building and having “pushed back cops.” "Was the proudest day of my life…felt like the founding fathers were smiling down on us in that room, and I guarantee my dad and gramps, both vets, would be proud,” he wrote on Facebook three days later, according to a complaint. Williams was arrested and released on bond but continued to post conspiracy messages on social media after his release, according to local media.
Case History
Williams pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury trial found Williams Guilty on all charges on 6/30/2022. Sentenced on 9/16/2022 to 60 months incarceration; 36 months supervised release; $5,000 fine; $2,000 restitution; $170 special assessment. On 9/12/2024, the USCA vacated the Obstruction conviction. On 12/19/2024, a superseding indictment was filed charging him with only one charge: Civil Disorder. He pleaded Not Guilty to the charge on 1/8/2025. On 1/22/2025, the court ordered that the case is dismissed without prejudice.
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR - Supporting Reporting
NPR video evidence pageNPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.