Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 28
- Location
- Jersey City, New Jersey
- 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 not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Multiple witnesses have allegedly come forward identifying Hector Vargas Santos as a member of the mob inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “WE THE PEOPLE TOOK OVER THE U.S. CAPITOL. #HOLDTHELINE” read one of his online posts from Jan. 6, according to court records. In a separate video post, he allegedly said: “We took over this motherf***er ... we took over this f***ing Capitol, tell them.” Court records also indicate Vargas may have set up a GoFundMe account in order to travel to Washington. A post on Twitter reads: "As we’re getting close to Jan 6th there are way more true American Patriots interested in coming to fight the good fight in Washington DC. With your donations we can help them get down there to fight for our democracy. Please donate n share.” A spokesperson for the Marine Corps confirmed to NPR that Vargas served as a field radio operator in the U.S. Marines between 2011 and 2015.
Case History
Vargas Santos pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury Trial held from 12/6/2022-12/12/2022. He was found Guilty on all charges. Sentenced on 4/21/2023 to 4 months incarceration; 12 months supervised release; $2,500 Fine; $500 Restitution; Special Assessment $70. Vargas Santos 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.