James Beeks

Case Summary

James Beeks was allegedly part of a group of Oath Keepers members and affiliates that marched on the U.S Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors say that he was already on the radar of law enforcement after a rioter who pleaded guilty identified him as one of the people who lined up with the Oath Keepers the day of the riot. The criminal complaint alleges that he was part of the group that entered into a formation — called a “stack” — in order to force its way into the Capitol. Court documents enumerate many records obtained that show Beeks traveled to Washington, D.C., on the day of the riot, including records from a personal finance app and a rental car agency, as well as cellphone records. Beeks was not wearing the typical camouflage favored by the far-right extremist group, according to court documents, but instead appears in images from that day in a black jacket with the word “Bad” on it in red letters, from Michael Jackson's 1987 world tour. It is that jacket that helped lead law enforcement to him; agents found photographs on Instagram of a person who appears to be Beeks wearing the jacket while posing in front of a sign for the musical play Jesus Christ Superstar. Beeks is an actor who performs as Judas — under the stage name James T. Justis — in the traveling production of the play, and the criminal complaint notes he was observed performing the role in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. In addition, he has also performed as a Michael Jackson impersonator. Prosecutors claim that Beeks changed his phone and phone number the day after an indictment naming co-conspirators was filed and registered his new phone under his stage name. After Beeks was charged, he appeared in court and claimed that the U.S. government had no authority over him — which a U.S. District judge called “gobbledygook.” The production of Jesus Christ Superstar has since replaced him in the role of Judas.

Case History

Beeks pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Acquitted in a Stipulated Bench Trial on 7/12/2023 of two charges: Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding and Civil Disorder and Aiding and Abetting. The other charges are dismissed.

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.