Eric Gene Barber

Case Summary

Seven separate tipsters told the FBI that Eric Gene Barber, a former city councilman, was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a criminal complaint. A Parkersburg, W.Va., newspaper quoted Barber in an article published a day after the Capitol riot, claiming he looked through the Capitol windows during the chaos but never went inside. However, the FBI identified a man they believe to be Barber wearing a green, combat-style helmet and military field jacket in photos inside the building. A video shows the man saying “They’re giving us the building” as he and a crowd of people try to enter an unidentified room and then proceed deeper into the building, according to the complaint. The complaint also alleges that surveillance footage shows Barber taking selfies in the Capitol rotunda before riffling through a pile of equipment C-SPAN’s media crew abandoned in Statuary Hall when they evacuated the building. The complaint alleges that Barber unplugged and stole a portable power station (used to charge an iPad) worth about $52.

Case History

Barber pleaded Guilty to two charges: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building; and Theft II (DC charge). The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 6/14/2022 to 45 days incarceration; 24 months of probation; $552.95 restitution ($52.95 to C-SPAN); $60 special assessment. On 5/9/2024, Barber's term of Probation is revoked and he is remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons to serve a term of 4 days with no term of Probation to follow. Barber 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.