Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 51
- Location
- Norristown, Pennsylvania
- Charges
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building; Violent Entry and 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
The FBI's path to Brian E. Stenz was somewhat like a game of telephone: Stenz allegedly texted a selfie from inside the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, to someone he knew, who then told someone else, who then told the East Norriton Police Department in Norristown, Pa., who then told the FBI. In a subsequent interview with the FBI, Stenz said he traveled to Washington, D.C., on the morning of Jan. 6 and admitted to having entered the Capitol after he saw others go in. Stenz's attorney told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Stenz regrets going to Washington that day.
Case History
Stenz pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced 2/17/2022 to 36 months of probation, including 14 days intermittent confinement; two months of home detention/location monitoring; $2,500 fine; $500 restitution; $10 special assessment. Stenz 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.