Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Location
- Owensboro, Kentucky
- Charges
- Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon (3 counts); Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon and Aiding and Abetting; Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; 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 the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Peter Schwartz was arrested Feb. 4, 2021, in Uniontown, Pa. An FBI affidavit claims video filmed on Jan. 6 shows him spraying mace directly at U.S. Capitol Police and carrying a wooden baton. A witness told the FBI that Schwartz is a traveling welder from Owensboro, Ky., who had been released from prison because of COVID-19 and should have been at a rehabilitation facility on Jan. 6 instead of at the Capitol riot. “All the violence from the left was terrorism. What happened yesterday was the opening of a war," wrote Schwartz on his Facebook profile on Jan. 7, according to the FBI affidavit. "I was there and whether people will acknowledge it or not, we are now at war. It would be wise to be ready!”
Case History
Schwartz pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. On 12/6/2022 he was convicted in a jury trial on all charges. Sentenced on 5/5/2023 to 170 months of incarceration; 36 months of supervised release; $920 special assessment; $2,000 restitution. On 1/17/2025, the Obstruction conviction is vacated. Schwartz 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.