Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 24
- Location
- Somerset, Ohio
- 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 or Grounds; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Open source video footage from Jan. 6, 2021, showed Benjamin Heffelfinger, of Somerset, Ohio, scaling a wall in order to gain entrance to the U.S. Capitol building, according to court documents. He then entered the building itself through the Senate Wing Door at 3:12 pm, spent five minutes inside, and exited through the same door. He was arrested on Dec. 20, 2023.
Case History
Heffelfinger pleaded Guilty to two charges: Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building or Grounds; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 8/5/2024 to 24 months of Probation; 2 months of location monitoring; Special Assessment $20; Restitution $500; 60 hours of community service. Heffelfinger 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.