Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 51
- Location
- Mays Landing, New Jersey
- 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; Theft of Government Property
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Robert Lee Petrosh Jr. was identified by a tipster whose grandmother is a friend of Petrosh's mother, according to court documents. Petrosh's mother reportedly told the grandmother that her son went inside the U.S. Capitol on the day of the insurrection. The tipster didn't have any images of him, but based on that information, law enforcement tracked down images in surveillance footage that appear to depict Petrosh inside the Capitol. Petrosh, law enforcement was told, had been "lying low" after a number of individuals were charged in the Capitol riot in the weeks after Jan. 6, 2021, court documents say. Furthermore, the court records show that the investigation led to a current FBI Task Force officer, who has known Petrosh for about 15 years. The officer identified him from screenshots and said that not only had he worked with and attended social gatherings with Petrosh, he had also seen him gardening on occasion. Petrosh was arrested on May 5, 2021. According to a sentencing memorandum filed in federal court, Petrosh served in the U.S. Marines from 1987 to 1991 and fought in Operation Desert Storm. Petrosh has co-owned a party rental business since the late 1990s, according to the memorandum.
Case History
Petrosh pleaded Guilty to one charge: Theft of Government Property. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 3/25/2022 to 10 days in jail; 12 months supervised release; $1,000 fine; $938 restitution; $25 special assessment. Ordered to return the two microphones he took from the Speaker's lectern. Petrosh 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.