Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 30
- Location
- Flint, Michigan
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Parading, Picketing, and Demonstrating in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
According to court documents, in the days leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, Lawrence Billiter wrote comments on a pro-Trump message board indicating he was traveling to Washington, D.C., with "enough ammo too [sic] win a small war." In a subsequent interview with federal agents, Billiter admitted to attending the rally and entering the Capitol building, but denied bringing weapons on the trip. Open-source video allegedly showed Billiter confronting police, throwing a metal pole at officers, and entering the building through a broken window. He was arrested on Nov. 13, 2023.
Case History
Billiter pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. The court dismissed the Obstruction charge with prejudice on 12/2/2024. In a Bench trial verdict on 12/16/2024, found Guilty on five charges: Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Parading, Picketing, and Demonstrating in a Capitol Building. Also Guilty on lesser charges of the remaining four. Sentencing is set for 4/2/2025. 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.