Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 56
- Location
- La Grange, Illinois
- Charges
- Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers and Aiding and Abetting; Civil Disorder; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted building or Grounds; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
A neighbor identified Joseph Leyden in photos from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to an FBI statement of facts. After the crowd knocked over metal barriers, police body-worn camera footage allegedly shows Leyden lunging and pushing a police officer before retreating into the crowd. Court documents say Leyden was dressed in a sweatshirt embroidered with the words “Trump 2020” and that he wore a blue flag draped around his neck as a cape. Leyden was arrested Aug. 23, 2022, in La Grange, Ill. His brother Daniel Leyden was also arrested on Aug. 23 in Chicago.
Case History
Leyden pleaded Guilty to one charge: Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers and Aiding and Abetting. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 9/6/2023 to 6 Months of Incarceration; 12 Months of Supervised Release; Special Assessment of $100; restitution of $2,000; 40 hours of community service. Leyden 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.