James Douglas Rahm III

Case Summary

Federal prosecutors allege that James Douglas Rahm III breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, along with his father, James Douglas Rahm Jr. According to charging documents, both men attended the Trump rally that day before heading toward the Capitol building. At one point, the elder Rahm allegedly recorded a video in which he said, “[W]e broke the door down. We’re going in. My eyes hurt like sh** from the pepper spray, but we’re going in.” James Douglas Rahm III was also allegedly recording video on a GoPro camera throughout the day and posted one video to Snapchat in which he reportedly said, "Holy sh**, holy sh***. Oh my f****** god, we just stormed the Capitol. Holy f***.” At one point, prosecutors allege, the elder Rahm received a text message from an unidentified individual, who wrote, "[G]o find Pelosi rip her f****** head off." Rahm allegedly replied, "I pissed in her office. My son's got video." James Douglas Rahm III was arrested on Feb. 5, 2021.

Case History

Rahm pleaded Guilty to one charge: Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 1/25/2024 to 45 days incarceration; 12 months of supervised release; $500 in restitution; $25 special assessment. Rahm 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.