Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 36
- Location
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
On Jan. 6, 2021, Matthew Bledsoe posted several videos and photos on his Instagram account showing the crowd approaching the Capitol, scaling its walls and eventually entering the building itself, according to court documents. In one video, Bledsoe trains the camera on a door to the Capitol and says, “In the Capitol. This is our house. We pay for this s***. Where’s those pieces of s*** at?” Bledsoe's wife also posted on Facebook soon after the riot: “Matt was inside the Capitol, he was one of the first. They yelled and screamed, that’s about it," she wrote, according to court documents. “My husband is a Patriot solider [sic]." Bledsoe is the owner of Primetime Movers in Memphis, Tenn., according to business filings with the Tennessee secretary of state and local news reports.
Case History
Bledsoe pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. At trial on 7/21/2022, a jury found him guilty on all charges. Sentenced on 10/21/2022 to 4 years incarceration; 3 years supervised release; $2,000 fine; $2,000 restitution; $170 special assessment. On 9/9/2024, the USCA vacated the Obstruction conviction. Bledsoe 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.