Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 31
- Location
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
Citing a combination of statements from tipsters, photos and videos and cell phone location data, prosecutors allege that Justin Schulze breached the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, along with another man from Colorado, Eric Zeis. Schulze and Zeis allegedly joined rioters as they forced their way into a blocked entrance on the east side of the Capitol building, and they walked through multiple areas inside the building. At one point, court documents say, Schulze and Zeis were part of a group of rioters that pushed against police officers protecting the rotunda of the Capitol building. A tipster told investigators that Schulze posted a video on Instagram on the day of the riot entitled “Storming the Capitol,” according to prosecutors. A special agent with the FBI interviewed both Schulze and Zeis in July, 2022, the court documents state, and both men allegedly admitted to entering the U.S. Capitol building. They were both arrested on Nov. 13, 2023.
Case History
Schulze pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Status Conference set for 1/14/2025. On 1/21/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice.
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.