Roberto A. Minuta

Case Summary

Roberto Minuta is the owner of a tattoo shop in New York called Casa di Dolore. Federal prosecutors say that when Minuta refused to comply with public health orders to close his shop during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was named a "lifetime" member of the anti-government extremist group known as the Oath Keepers. The court documents cite an interview with Minuta about his shop by Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers. Multiple media outlets, including The New York Times, reported that Minuta was among a group of Oath Keepers who provided protection for Roger Stone, the former adviser to former President Donald Trump, in the hours leading up to the insurrection. The New York Times' report is now cited in the Justice Department's case against Minuta. Minuta allegedly appeared alongside other members of the militia in Washington, wearing tactical gear, including "ballistic goggles," and may have also carried bear spray. Minuta "aggressively taunted and berated law enforcement officers guarding the Capitol," the government alleges, before eventually breaching the Capitol himself. About a week after the Capitol riot, Minuta deleted his Facebook account.

Case History

Minuta pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury trial held from 12/6/2022 to 1/23/2023. He was found Guilty on four charges: Seditious Conspiracy, Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting, Conspiracy to Prevent an Officer from Discharging Any Duties; and Not Guilty of Tampering with Documents or Proceedings. Sentenced on 6/1/2023 to 54 months of incarceration; 36 months of supervised release. A proclamation commutes the sentence to time served as of January 20, 2025

Later Developments

• 2026-08-04 · federal criminal disposition

  The district court dismissed the indictment with prejudice after the appellate court vacated the convictions on May 21, 2026.

  Legal Status: Convictions vacated and indictment dismissed; this does not erase the historical trial record or establish the status of other matters.

  • Development Source
    United States v. Rhodes et al., No. 22-cr-15, memorandum opinion and order, August 4, 2026U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, court filing via CourtListener2026-10-24

Sources

• Primary Documentation
  NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR
• Primary Documentation
  Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
• Supporting Reporting
  NPR video evidence pageNPR

The original January 6 case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25. Later developments are separately dated and sourced; they concern distinct proceedings and public events.