Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 51
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers or Employees; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building; Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Mark Leffingwell repeatedly punched a U.S. Capitol Police officer while attempting to push into the Capitol building, according to court documents. The officer claims Leffingwell spontaneously apologized for striking out as he was being taken to the Capitol Police headquarters. Leffingwell is an Iraq War veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury, according to attorney Mark Carroll, who represented Leffingwell at his arraignment hearing on Jan. 29, 2021. "This whole incident is an anomaly in his life. He's served his country valiantly," Carroll said. Leffingwell told the judge he is on a full-disability pension but still works part time at a packaging factory. According to a sentencing memo filed by the defendent in court, Leffingwell served in the U.S. Marine Corps and the Army National Guard.
Case History
Leffingwell pleaded Guilty to one charge: Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers or Employees. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced 2/10/2022 to 6 months incarceration; 2 years supervised release; 200 hours community service; $2,000 restitution; $100 special assessment. Leffingwell 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.