Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 46
- Location
- Sanford, Florida
- Charges
- Theft of Government Property; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Shelly Varney and her husband, Neil Ashcraft, drove to Washington, D.C., from their home in Florida around Jan. 5, 2021. The next day, according to court documents, Ashcraft entered the U.S. Capitol by scaling the walls and took a U.S. flag and flagpole from one of the rooms inside. Varney was waiting outside for about a half an hour but then allegedly decided to enter the building to look for him. They brought the stolen flag and flagpole home and ultimately burned it to hide the theft, court documents state. Ashcraft pleaded guilty to theft and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds on Sept. 19, 2022.
Case History
Varney pleaded Guilty to both charges. Sentenced on 5/8/2023 to 24 Days of incarceration; 12 Months of supervised release; special assessment of $50; fine of $1,000; Restitution of $500. Varney 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.