Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 40
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois
- Charges
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Entering and Remaining in Certain Rooms in the Capitol Building; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Before the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors allege, Kevin Lyons posted on Instagram that he was heading to Washington, D.C., from his home in Chicago. "I refuse to tell my children that I sat back and did nothing," Lyons allegedly posted. "I am heading to DC to STOP THE STEAL!" Later, prosecutors say, that same Instagram account posted a photo of a plaque from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office with the caption, "WHOS [sic] HOUSE?!?!? OUR HOUSE!!" Two days after the rioting, on Jan. 8, 2021, FBI agents interviewed Lyons in Chicago. When agents showed Lyons the Instagram post of Pelosi's office, he allegedly replied, "Wow, you are pretty good. That was up for only an hour." Prosecutors say that Lyons then provided additional photos and videos from inside the Capitol to the FBI and told agents that he entered Pelosi's office but did not cause any damage. Fox 32 Chicago reported that Lyons works for a heating and cooling company and that his manager referred to him as an "upstanding employee." Lyons was arrested on Jan. 13, 2021.
Case History
Lyons pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. In a stipulated Bench trial held on 4/7/2023, he was found Guilty on all charges. Sentenced on 7/14/2023 to 51 months incarceration; 36 months supervised release; special assessment of $180; restitution of $2,000. The court dismissed the Obstruction conviction on 12/12/2024. An amended judgment was filed on 2/7/2025 of 12 months incarceration. Lyons 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 - Supporting Reporting
NPR video evidence pageNPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.