Felipe Antonio Martinez

Case Summary

Prosecutors say that Felipe Antonio Martinez participated in a group text message with three others -- Derek Kinnison, 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. In a photo posted to the channel, Martinez can allegedly be seen flashing the hand signal of the extremist anti-government militia known as the Three Percenters. Kinnison also allegedly texted Martinez, Mele and Warner about bringing a shotgun and ammunition to Washington. On Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors say, Martinez wore a protective “plate-carrier vest” and “joined rioters in the restricted area on the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol Building.”

Case History

Martinez 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 21 months incarceration; 36 month term of supervised release; restitution in the amount of $2,000; special assessment of $250. Martinez 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.