Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 41
- Location
- Titusville, Florida
- Charges
- Seditious Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Conspiracy to Prevent an Officer from Discharging Any Duties; Destruction of Government Property and Aiding and Abetting; Tampering with Documents or Proceedings
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Commutation
- Current status
- The January 6 convictions were vacated in May 2026, and the indictment was dismissed with prejudice on August 4, 2026. The earlier trial and sentencing history is retained below.
Case Summary
Kenneth Harrelson is accused in an FBI affidavit of conspiring with several other individuals, all of whom are affiliated with the Oath Keepers and are facing federal charges for allegedly coordinating to storm the Capitol. The FBI says Harrelson can be seen in a video from Jan. 6, 2021, inside the Rotunda of the Capitol with alleged Oath Keepers and others who forcibly entered the building in a military-style "stack" formation. According to court documents, Harrelson can also be seen in photos from later in the day with people affiliated with the Oath Keepers outside the Capitol, including Kelly Meggs, Graydon Young and Laura Steele—all of whom are also facing conspiracy charges. The FBI says it obtained call records indicating that Meggs and Harrelson spoke by phone in December and on Jan. 4, two days before the attack on the Capitol. Investigators also obtained records from GoToMeeting, an online site used for video conference calls. The affidavit says an individual using a mobile device with the same IP address as Harrelson's phone organized a meeting titled "dc planning call" on Jan. 3, 2021. In addition to that, the same user organized some 30 meetings affiliated with the Oath Keepers between Sept. 30, 2020, and Jan. 3, 2021. According to sentencing memos filed in court, Harrelson served in the U.S. Army.
Case History
Harrelson pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury trial began on 9/27/2022. On 11/29/2022, Harrelson was found Guilty on three charges: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Conspiracy to Prevent an Officer from Discharging Any Duties; and Tampering with Documents or Proceedings. Not Guilty on the other three charges. Sentenced on 5/26/2023 to 48 months incarceration; 24 months of supervised release; $300 special assessment. A proclamation commutes the sentence to time served as of January 20, 2025
Later Developments
2026-08-04 · federal criminal disposition
The district court dismissed the indictment with prejudice after the appellate court vacated the convictions on May 21, 2026.
Legal Status: Convictions vacated and indictment dismissed; this does not erase the historical trial record or establish the status of other matters.
- Development Source
United States v. Rhodes et al., No. 22-cr-15, memorandum opinion and order, August 4, 2026U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, court filing via CourtListener2026-10-24
- Development Source
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR - Supporting Reporting
NPR video evidence pageNPR
The original January 6 case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25. Later developments are separately dated and sourced; they concern distinct proceedings and public events.