Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 21
- Location
- Fairfax Station, Virginia
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress; 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
“Patriots Its [sic] time to come together in DC. And fight for our country. Just like our President Donald Trump has done for us. It’s time we fight for him. See yall in DC Jan 6th,” posted Luke Wessley Bender on TikTok days before the storming of the Capitol, according to court documents. An anonymous tipster who identified themselves as a co-worker wrote to the FBI on Jan 13, 2021: “Luke Bender was bragging about being present during the insurrection at the US Capitol … He has photos of himself and with others inside of the US Capitol Building. Some of the people he has photos with have already been arrested for their participation in this insurrection.” Images from Jan. 6, 2021, show Bender wearing a black cowboy hat, a camouflage jacket and a big blue Trump flag on the National Mall. Footage also shows him walking around the Capitol Rotunda and, later, entering the Senate chamber, where he appeared to use his phone to photograph documents left on senators’ desks. The court documents also show images of Bender pictured on the dais on the Senate floor.
Case History
Bender pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty on all charges in a stipulated Bench trial on 12/7/2022. Sentenced on 4/20/2023 to 21 months incarceration; supervised release of 36 months; special assessment of $180; $2,000 restitution. On 9/9/2024, the USCA vacated the Obstruction conviction. Resentenced on 12/19/2024 to Time Served; Supervised Release of 12 Months (With Conditions); $80 Special Assessment; Restitution of $2,000. Bender 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
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.