Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 56
- Location
- Shelbyville, Indiana
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; 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 with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm on Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Carrying a Pistol Without a License (DC); Possession of Unregistered Firearm (DC); Unlawful Possession of Ammunition (DC); Second Degree Theft (DC)
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
A revolver loaded with both live shotgun shells and hollow-point rounds fell from an unknown suspect’s waistband as he scuffled with a police sergeant on Jan. 6, 2021, near the U.S. Capitol steps, according to court documents. Two days later, Mark Mazza reported to local police in Indiana that his gun, matching the serial number of the one dropped, had been stolen from a car while he spent hours inside a Cincinnati casino. When confronted during a police interview in March, Mazza claimed he reported it stolen because, “if Antifa found it, someone might get killed and my name is all over it.” Mazza then claimed the gun slipped from his holster in a tunnel entrance to the Capitol just after 3 p.m. Jan. 6, 2021, according to the court documents, but the police sergeant reported picking it up on the Capitol’s steps a half-hour before that. During the interview, Mazza denied assaulting any police officers during the riot, replying, “In fact … I helped two of them” and “I can barely make a fist because of my arthritis.” However, the court documents allege surveillance footage shows Mazza swinging a baton at officers in the tunnel just after he yelled, “This is our f**king house! We own this house!” According to the court documents, Mazza ended his interview by claiming he “may go down as a hero,” adding “if you do have to come back and take me, put me in a fed … I just want three squares and a nice clean room, someone takes care of my health care and I’m good.” Mazza was arrested Nov. 17, 2021, in Shelbyville, Ind. According to sentencing memos filed in court, Mazza served in the U.S. Army.
Case History
Mazza pleaded Guilty to two charges: Counts 4, and 10 - Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; and Carrying a Pistol Without a License (D.C. Code). The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 10/21/2022 to 5 years incarceration; 3 years supervised release; Special Assessment of $200; restitution of $2,150. Mazza 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.