Michael Curzio

Case Summary

According to court documents, Michael Curzio was with a group of rioters inside the Capitol building who did not comply with police orders to leave. He also allegedly wore a gas mask inside the Capitol. After the Capitol riot, Curzio allegedly said, "Our point was made yesterday. I have no regrets about anything.” Curzio's defense attorney stated in one court filing that, "Mr. Curzio concedes he was on the Capitol grounds and building to protest along with hundreds of other protesters and was merely following the directions of then-President Trump, who has billed himself as the country’s chief law enforcement officer." The defense attorney argued that Curzio was unable to follow law enforcement's orders to leave the Capitol, because of the large crowd of demonstrators, but prosecutors have disputed that claim. Records show he had earlier served eight years in prison for attempted first-degree murder. He was released in 2019. According to federal prosecutors, "Curzio was a member in a violent white-supremacist prison gang, the Unforgiven, while he served time in the Florida corrections system. Curzio bears tattoos with Nazi imagery." Prosecutors argued in court documents that Curzio has a "longstanding, if not ongoing, devotion to the Unforgiven’s extremist, racist ideology and violent reputation."

Case History

Curzio pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges were dismissed. Sentenced 7/12/2021 to 6 months of incarceration; $500 restitution; and a $10 Special Assessment. Curzio 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.