Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 55
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois
- Charges
- Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon; Aiding and Abetting; Obstruction of Law Enforcement During Civil Disorder; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
A witness identified Daniel Leyden among photos of the crowd at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to an FBI statement of facts. Court records indicate Leyden helped push metal bike racks being used as barricades into two Capitol Police officers, pinning one underneath and knocking another officer unconscious. The FBI also says records from the Illinois Tollway, Chase Bank and Verizon appear to show that Leyden traveled from the Chicago area to Washington, D.C., between Jan. 5 and 7, 2021. Leyden was arrested Aug. 23, 2022, in Chicago. His brother Joseph Leyden was also arrested on Aug. 23 in La Grange, Ill.
Case History
Leyden pleaded Guilty to one charge: Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 9/6/2023 to 38 Months of Incarceration; 12 Months of Supervised Release; Special Assessment of $100; Restitution of $2,000. Leyden 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.