Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 22
- Location
- Costa Mesa, California
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress; Entering and Remaining in the Gallery of Congress; Entering and Remaining in Certain Rooms in the Capitol Building; 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
Christian Secor is identified in federal court documents as a student at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the founder of the campus group America First Bruins. Federal prosecutors say that is a reference to the America First podcast hosted by Nick Fuentes, a prominent white supremacist. (The court records do not use Fuentes' name but appear to reference him as "a public figure known for making racist statements and denying the Holocaust.") Secor, prosecutors say, also posted on the video-streaming platform DLive under the name "Scuffed Elliot Rodger," an apparent reference to the man who killed six people in Isla Vista, Calif., in 2014. The FBI learned of Secor's alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection when it received tips from at least 11 witnesses. One of those witnesses allegedly told investigators that Secor is a self-described fascist who "openly posted calls for America to become a whites-only nation." During the Capitol riot, Secor can allegedly be seen on video sitting in the chair of the Senate presiding officer, where Vice President Mike Pence had been seated just hours earlier. In one video, prosecutors allege, Secor was seen among "a group of rioters attempting to push through a doorway that is blocked by no less than three police officers" and "breaking through a police line." After the rioting, one witness told the FBI that Secor moved back in with his mother in Costa Mesa, Calif., and then "got rid of his phone and car and bragged that he would not be caught for his involvement at the U.S. Capitol." The FBI conducted surveillance of Secor in late January, according to court documents, and he was arrested on Feb. 16, 2021.
Case History
Secor pleaded Guilty to one charge: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 10/19/2022 to 42 months incarceration; 3 years of supervised release; $2,000 restitution; $100 special assessment. Secor 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.