Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 26
- Location
- Sandy, Utah
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Civil Disorder; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Dangerous Weapon; Unlawful Possession of a Dangerous Weapon on Capitol Grounds or Buildings; 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
John Sullivan is the head of an organization called Insurgence USA. According to the organization’s website, its mission is “to provide the truth” and give “unedited raw footage, photos, and news of the insurrection here in America," Sullivan has attended and recorded both BLM protests and pro-Trump rallies. Sullivan told FBI agents that he was in Washington, D.C., to attend and film the “Stop the Steal” march on Jan. 6, 2021, and claimed to be “an activist and journalist that filmed protests and riots.” According to court documents, he also said that he had been “present at the shooting of a woman" and that "he had filmed the incident.” As footage shows, Sullivan recorded the fatal shooting of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt. Sullivan allegedly wore a bulletproof vest and gas mask. “We accomplished this s***. We did this together. F*** yeah! We are all a part of this history,” “Let’s burn this s*** down,” he said according to his video footage reviewed by the FBI. As part of the same video, he allegedly also tells officers: “There are too many people, you gotta stand down, the people out there that tried to do that s***, they got hurt, I saw it, I’m caring about you.”
Case History
Sullivan pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty on all charges in a Jury trial on 11/16/2023. Sentenced on 4/26/2024 to 72 months incarceration; 24 months of supervised release; restitution in the amount of $2,000; special assessment of $520. Sullivan 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.