Blas Santillan

Case Summary

A tipster contacted the FBI after hearing from another person that Blas Santillan had allegedly posted videos on his Snapchat account from inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. That other person confirmed to law enforcement that Santillan had posted up to 15 videos that day, court documents indicate. In one, Santillan reportedly pans around the Capitol Rotunda saying, "Look at this. All this stuff.” In another, he allegedly is seen walking down the street with a chair and a pole strapped to his back and says: “I got a chair, a pole, and a book.” In a cellphone video taken just outside the Capitol doors, Santillan can reportedly be heard shouting at rioters: "It seems like you’re that weak, because I’m the only one that was willing to do something! I’m the only one that was willing to kick that door! Who else is willing to storm in there? ... You are lazy Americans! That is what you are! You are used to sitting on your couch, and watching your Netflix, and listening to your shows, and watching YouTube! You do not know what freedom is. ... Freedom is doing what you want!" Santillan also appears in security camera footage from inside the building, court documents indicate.

Case History

Santillan pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 9/23/2022 to 45 days of incarceration; 36 months of probation; Special Assessment of $10; Restitution of $500; 60 hours of community service. Santillan 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.