Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 42
- Location
- Nottingham, Maryland
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Entering and Remaining in the Gallery of Congress; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
Elias Costianes posted videos of himself breaching the U.S. Capitol on Snapchat, federal prosecutors allege. Costianes uploaded video from inside an elevator reserved for senators and inside the Senate chamber, according to federal investigators. In one video described in court documents, Costianes watched as rioters tried to push open a door blocked by law enforcement and said "open the f****** doors!" and "let's go!" Eventually, the mob overran the officers. Costianes was arrested Feb. 12, 2021, and was indicted by a grand jury March 3, 2021.
Case History
Costianes pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. On 1/21/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice
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.