Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 37
- Location
- California
- Charges
- Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Derek Sulenta was brought to the attention of the FBI by a relative who sent the bureau pictures from Sulenta’s Facebook page, court documents show. After getting a search warrant for Sulenta’s account, investigators say they found a picture captioned “Took this from inside the capital building” and posts reading “I’ll be there Jan 6th to support the president no matter what happens.” Prosecutors say a later post read “Dude we breached the capital building.” Court documents allege that Sulenta spent about 47 minutes inside the Capitol, during which time he talked on the phone and took photos. Prosecutors say this can be seen in surveillance footage and a Youtube video. Sulenta was arrested in August of 2022.
Case History
Sulenta pleaded Guilty to the single charge. Sentenced 2/22/2023 to 14 days incarceration; 60 days community service; $500 restitution; Special assessment of $10. Sulenta 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.