Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 47
- Location
- Fincastle, Virginia
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon (2 counts); 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
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Like many of the people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S Capitol, Markus Maly allegedly bragged in numerous posts on social media about his participation in the riot. Prosecutors say he wrote to his girlfriend as the attack was taking place, saying: “We took the f***** Capital.” Later, when she expressed concern, he allegedly replied, “I know…I’ve got stories though,” and “I was so fun…” Later he reportedly corrected himself: “It.” Prosecutors say Maly posted multiple pictures of himself that appear to be from the day of the riot, including a selfie that helped investigators match his clothing on the day to photographs of a suspect posted by the FBI. Maly was eventually identified through pictures and videos matched to booking photos of him in Virginia and his driver’s license and, additionally, through cellphone data showing the phone registered to him pinged cellphone sites consistent with those providing service to the Capitol building, court records indicate. Maly allegedly was spotted wearing a cowboy hat branded with “Trump 2020” and “Team Trump” and carrying a black canister which court records indicate he sprayed toward police officers. In other social media communications, Maly allegedly responded to a contact of his who suggested he should have “stood his ground:” “I stood my ground and went back for seconds and thirds even.”
Case History
Maly pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. On 12/6/2022 he was convicted in a jury trial on all charges. Sentenced on 6/9/2023 to 72 months incarceration; 36 months supervised release; $620 special assessment. Maly 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.