Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 33
- Location
- Hudson, New Hampshire
- Charges
- 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; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
“The whole nation will watch it happen,” Kirstyn Niemela told a witness and former friend, according to court documents. That witness told the FBI that Niemela claimed to be a member of the Proud Boys and that she had allegedly shown the witness a video of her breaking a window in the U.S. Capitol building. A second witness, who said they were related to Niemela, as well as an anonymous text tipster, told the FBI that Niemela had also posted to Facebook near the Capitol, court documents state. Prosecutors allege that other Facebook posts show “a woman believed to be Niemela” dressed in a sweatshirt reading “We the People ARE PISSED OFF,” as well as wearing sunglasses and an American flag cape. The FBI says a woman wearing the same outfit can be seen in surveillance footage from inside the Capitol. Court documents also allege that data from search warrants to Google and Facebook back up the assertion that Niemela entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.
Case History
Niemela pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty on all charges in a Jury trial on 1/26/2023. Sentenced on 6/8/2023 to 11 months incarceration; 12 months supervised release; special assessment of $70; $1,000 fine; $500 in restitution. Niemela 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.