Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 50
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Charges
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building; Disorderly Conduct in a Restricted Building; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Two people reached out to the FBI to tell the bureau that Philip Weisbecker had been inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, court documents indicate. Law enforcement was then able to find records indicating that Weisbecker had taken a Frontier Airlines flight to the Washington, D.C., area on Jan. 4, 2021 and left on Jan. 7, 2021. Weisbecker also posted to Facebook a screenshot of the TV show Tucker Carlson Tonight, in which Weisbecker can allegedly be seen inside the U.S. Capitol, according to court documents. He allegedly captioned the screenshot: "if you would like to know the truth....just ask." In early February 2021, Weisbecker, who lives in San Diego, was stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border, trying to enter the U.S. During that stop, he allegedly acknowledged that he was at the "Stop The Steal" rally and claimed he had been there as a "citizen journalist." According to court records, Weisbecker admitted to entering the Capitol and also said he was in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. He allegedly claimed that rioters were "let in the U.S. Capitol building by DC Police." A few days later, he was stopped at the border again. This time, he was "verbally abusive and uncooperative," according to Border Patrol agents. He allegedly told them that he "does not believe President Biden is the legitimate president" and that he "feels that he is freer in Mexico than in the U.S."
Case History
Weisbecker pleaded Guilty to charge: Parading, Demonstrating or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced 6/27/2022 to 24 Months of Probation; 30 days intermittent confinement; Special Assessment of $10; Restitution of $500; Fine of $2,000. Weisbecker 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.