Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 38
- Location
- East Helena, Montana
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Destruction of Government Property; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress; Entering and Remaining in Certain Rooms in the Capitol Building; 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
Prosecutors allege that Joshua Calvin Hughes and his brother, Jerod Wade Hughes, watched as other rioters broke windows outside the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, and that they then climbed inside. Both Hughes brothers were later seen in footage of the confrontation with Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, according to court documents, and joined with other rioters who followed Goodman and refused to follow orders to leave the building. Later, prosecutors say, they and other rioters entered the Senate Chamber, where they "sat in Senators’ chairs, opened Senators’ desks, and reviewed sensitive material stored therein."
Case History
Hughes pleaded Guilty to one charge: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced 11/22/2022 to 38 months of incarceration, 36 months of supervised release, $2,000 restitution and $100 special assessment. Hughes 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.