Vincent J. Gillespie

Case Summary

Prosecutors say Vincent J. Gillespie made his way to the Lower West Terrace tunnel of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and fought with law enforcement officers defending the exterior door. Body camera footage from a Metropolitan Police Department officer allegedly shows Gillespie grabbing a police shield and ramming officers with it while shouting "traitor" and "treason." When FBI agents created a media campaign to ask the public for help identifying rioters from open-source video and security footage, six people reportedly identified Gillespie from images taken from the footage, according to an FBI statement of facts. The witnesses allegedly included Gillespie's past neighbor and others who worked at businesses that Gillespie frequented.

Case History

Gillespie pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury trial held from 12/19/2022 to 12/23/2022. Found Guilty on 4 charges: Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers; Civil Disorder; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings. A mistrial declared on the remaining charges. Sentenced on 4/14/2023 to 68 months incarceration; 36 months supervised release; $235 special assessment; $2,000 restitution; $25,000 fine. Gillespie 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.