Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 44
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois
- Charges
- 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
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Federal prosecutors allege that on Jan. 5, 2021, the day before the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Athanasios Zoyganeles posted comments on Facebook saying: “We need to take over the capital [sic] building tomorrow." The following day, prosecutors say, Zoyganeles joined the mob that breached the Capitol and can be seen on video smoking a cigarette and filming inside the building during the attack. Federal investigators corroborated Zoyganeles' presence in the building by obtaining records from telecommunications providers and asking Zoyganeles' family members to identify him in photographs from in and around the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, court records state. Those records also allege that Zoyganeles posted on Facebook that he "was teargassed maced and they were throwing flash bangs at me but I still stayed on the front lines. It wasn’t easy but we did it.” Zoyganeles was arrested on Feb. 22 in Chicago.
Case History
Zoyganeles pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 9/26/2023 to 9 months Probation; 10 days incarceration; $10 Special Assessment; Restitution of $500. Zoyganeles 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.