Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 41
- Location
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Federal prosecutors say Douglas Austin Jensen can be seen in one of the most widely viewed videos of the rioting at the Capitol: one of him following a Capitol Police officer up a flight of stairs, trailed by a crowd of Trump supporters. According to court documents, Jensen is "an adherent of QAnon" — the far-right conspiracy theory — and was wearing a "Q" shirt when he joined the storming of the Capitol. Jensen allegedly disregarded the police officer's orders to stop and put his hands up, and instead he "led the crowd toward the officer in a menacing manner, causing the officer to retreat and repeat his commands," which Jensen continued to ignore. On Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the riot, Jensen turned himself in to police in Des Moines, Iowa and allegedly told investigators that he wore the "Q" shirt hoping that it would be photographed so that "Q" would "get the credit.” On Jan. 11, 2021, a grand jury indicted Jensen on multiple charges related to his alleged role in the insurrection. According to TV station KCCI, Jensen also lost his job as a laborer with an Iowa masonry company in the wake of the riots.
Case History
Jensen pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. He was found Guilty on all counts in a trial by jury on 9/23/2022. Sentenced on 12/16/2022 to 5 years incarceration; 36 months supervised release; $2,000 of restitution; $520 special assessment. Jensen 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 - Supporting Reporting
NPR video evidence pageNPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.