Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 43
- Location
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- 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
The FBI initially identified Jennifer Heinl through her connection to Kenneth Grayson, who is also charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and whom Heinl can be seen talking with in security camera footage from inside the Capitol rotunda, court documents indicate. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Grayson's Facebook account and found messages between Heinl and Grayson discussing travel plans to Washington, D.C., in the weeks leading up to the riot. In an interview with the FBI, Heinl said she had "fallen out of touch with Grayson." She said she saw him at the pro-Trump rally that day but did not enter the Capitol. Heinl’s husband, Michael Heinl, is a detective with the Shaler Township Police Department near Pittsburgh. Michael Heinl was on duty at the time of the riot and does not support the events, the department's police chief told local news.
Case History
Heinl pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced 6/8/2022 to 2 years probation; 14 days of intermittent incarceration; 50 hours of community service; $500 restitution; $10 special assessment. Heinl 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.