Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 22
- Location
- Bracey, Virginia
- Charges
- Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
The FBI claims a fellow Marine identified Sgt. Joshua Abate from surveillance footage taken inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. According to an FBI statement of facts, Abate told interviewers during his security clearance interview in June 2022 that he and two “buddies” went into the Capitol and “walked around and tried not to get hit with tear gas.” He explained that he’d decided not to tell anyone about going into the Capitol because of “how the event was being portrayed negatively,” the FBI claims. Surveillance footage shows Abate and two co-defendants, Marines Micah Coomer and Dodge Dale Hellonen, spent nearly an hour in the Capitol during the riot. They loitered in the Rotunda for about a half-hour, at one point tossing Coomer’s red “Make America Great Again” hat atop a statue to pose for selfies, court records state; They left when police arrived and corralled people out of the building. Abate was arrested on Jan. 18, 2023, in Ft. Meade, Md.
Case History
Abate pleaded Guilty to the charge. Sentenced on 9/13/2023 to one year of probation; 279 hours of community service; $10 special assessment; $500 restitution. On 11/27/2023, his request for early termination of probation was granted, effective immediately. Abate 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.