Joshua Dressel

Case Summary

Two tipsters who know Joshua Dressel identified him to the FBI, according to court documents. The first one saw video of Dressel inside the U.S. Capitol on MSNBC, prosecutors say. The second reportedly identified Dressel in stills from surveillance footage. The FBI says the first tipster also described a video on Dressel’s Facebook page that seemed to be from inside the Capitol and included chants of “Stop the Steal.” Dressel’s Facebook account seemed to be deleted by the time the FBI interviewed that tipster, but court documents show the FBI got records from Facebook, including a conversation between Dressel and another individual on Jan. 6, 2021. According to the FBI, Dressel wrote, “First 20 people or so to break into the Capitol,” and, “Lol I’m proud to say I was a voice of reason in there trying to stop the crazy s*** and calm things down.” The other individual asked, “Was there antifa f***s in there?” to which Dressel answered, “Yes,” according to the FBI. Prosecutors say the Facebook account shows a login on an IP address near Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. The FBI also served a search warrant on Google and said it found a phone believed to be Dressel’s that was in and around the Capitol during the riot.

Case History

Dressel pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 3/21/2023 to 14 days incarceration; $500 fine; $500 in restitution; $10 special assessment. Dressel 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.