Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 39
- Location
- Lake Elsinore, California
- Charges
- Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building and Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Tampering with Documents or Proceedings
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Prosecutors say that Derek Kinnison participated in a group text message with three others -- Felipe Antonio Martinez, Ronald Mele and Erik Scott Warner -- to arrange travel from California to Washington, D.C., for a pro-Trump rally planned on Jan. 6, 2021. Later, according to a criminal indictment, he and more than 30 others used the encrypted messaging app Telegram to join a channel called the California Patriots-DC Brigade, which was started by a leader of a group called the American Phoenix Project. That channel was then allegedly used to plan and coordinate logistics, including the use of protective gear, radios and weapons, for the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol. Kinnison allegedly posted a photo to the channel depicting himself flashing the hand signal of the extremist anti-government militia called the Three Percenters. In one message described in the indictment, Kinnison said he and the others in his group would be traveling by car, so they could bring heavy equipment, including “medical kits, radios, multiple cans of bear spray, knives, flags” as well as other protective equipment. He also allegedly texted Martinez, Mele and Warner about bringing a shotgun and ammunition to Washington. On Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors say, Kinnison wore a gas mask and “joined rioters in the restricted area on the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol Building.”
Case History
Kinnison pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty in a Jury trial on 11/7/2023 on all charges. Sentenced on 4/19/2024 to 33 months incarceration; 36 month term of supervised release; restitution in the amount of $2,000; special assessment of $350. Kinnison 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.