Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 42
- Location
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Charges
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building; Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Acquitted in part or full
Case Summary
According to court documents, Matthew Martin was linked to the riot through cellphone records obtained by the FBI. He turned himself in on Jan. 20, 2021, and admitted that he had indeed unlawfully entered the U.S. Capitol, after reading President Trump's false claims on Twitter about the election being stolen. Court documents say Martin claimed Capitol guards opened the doors for people to walk into the Capitol rotunda. He provided photos and videos from his cellphone taken at the time of the riot, including one of a police officer standing near the door to the Capitol, near a pane of glass that has been smashed. A colleague of Martin's told the FBI that Martin said he would be taking leave on Jan. 6, 2021. In a Jan. 20, 2021, interview with law enforcement, Martin stated that he realized later that "the protests were worse than he thought," court documents indicate. Martin works for a defense contractor for the federal government and holds a security clearance, according to court documents.
Case History
Martin pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. He was found Not Guilty of all charges on 4/6/2022 after a misdemeanor bench trial.
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.