Virginia Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

Press Release

Defendant Broke Windows at House Speaker's Lobby

WASHINGTON - A Virginia man was sentenced today to eight years in prison after a federal jury in Washington, D.C., convicted him of eight felonies and three misdemeanor offenses related to his conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Zachary Jordan Alam, 32, Centreville, Virginia, was sentenced to eight years - or 96 months - in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,484 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich.

On Sept. 12, 2023, Alam was convicted of eight felonies, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon; civil disorder; destruction of government property; obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; entering and remaining in a restricted building with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building with a deadly or dangerous weapon.

In addition to the felonies, Alam was convicted of several misdemeanor offenses, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, act of physical violence in the Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Alam was among a mob of rioters illegally gathered on the west lawn of Capitol grounds. Alam assisted other rioters in scaling barriers propped as make-shift ladders on the side of the northwest steps and entered the Capitol building at approximately 2:17 p.m., leaping through a broken window adjacent to the Senate Wing emergency exit doors.

Once inside, Alam spent over 30 minutes roaming different areas on the 4th, 3rd, and second floors. On the 4th floor, Alam attempted to kick in a door. On the third floor, Alam threw a red velvet rope from a balcony at police officers the next level down who were standing guard at the Rotunda doors.

At 2:33 p.m., Alam - wearing a MAGA hat under a black and tan fur-lined hat and a black shirt bearing a red and yellow Pirelli logo - was corralled in the Will Rogers corridor, a hallway connecting Statuary Hall to the House Chamber's Main Door. A line of officers stood guard between the corridor and the House Main Door, which led directly into the House chamber. Alam yelled at officers, laughed, argued with other rioters, and joined the mob that pushed through the police line.

At 2:41 p.m., after unsuccessfully trying to breach the House Main Door, Alam and others headed to the doors to the Speaker's Lobby-another entry point at the rear of the House chamber. Here, three U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers stood guard at the Speaker's Lobby Doors, with furniture piled behind them to provide a barricade. Alam walked up to the officers and looked through the glass of the door, where members of Congress and staff were visibly evacuating the House chamber.

Now, at the front of the mob, Alam shouted, "I'm going to f*** you up" multiple times in the faces of the USCP officers who were standing post outside the Speaker's lobby door. Alam moved to the doors, punched the glass repeatedly with his fist, and shattered three glass door panes as members and staff were still present. As he punched the door, Alam pushed up against three officers standing guard. Alam rallied the crowd, announcing that "the problem" was with the House members. Alam then used a black helmet to smash out three glass panes.

Upon leaving the area, Alam called out to fellow rioters that they "need guns."

The FBI arrested Alam on Jan. 30, 2021, in Denver, Pennsylvania. Investigators found evidence of flight and plans to dispose of evidence connecting Alam to Jan. 6, 2021.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case. The U.S. Attorney's Offices for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Eastern District of Virginia provided valuable assistance.

The case was investigated by the FBI's Washington Field Office, which identified Alam as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #79 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI's Philadelphia Office's Capital Area Resident Agency, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 46 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,561 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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Updated November 7, 2024