Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 71
- Location
- Casco, Michigan
- Charges
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building; Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Gary Smith, of Casco, Mich., went to the U.S. Capitol with his sister, Deborah Kuecken, court documents show. Prosecutors say Smith and Kuecken entered the Capitol through the Rotunda doors, remained inside for around four minutes then exited. The FBI say they got a tip about the pair and used search warrants served on Verizon to identify documents that showed Smith’s phone using cell sites consistent with an area that included the Capitol building. Prosecutors also compared images of Smith from his Facebook page with images from the Capitol, where he wore a dark coat, a hoodie, and a Detroit Tigers baseball cap. Smith’s son positively identified Smith and Kuecken in images from the Capitol. Smith and Kuecken were arrested in October of 2022.
Case History
Smith pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 6/9/2023 to 36 months of Probation; 30 days of location monitoring; $500 in restitution; $10 special assessment; 60 hours of community service. Smith 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.