Jan. 6 defendant who said he was ashamed of ‘foolish’ actions now works at Pentagon - BERITAJA

A young man who pleaded blameworthy successful the Jan. 6, 2021 onslaught connected the U.S. Capitol and apologized for his “foolish” actions during what he said was “without a uncertainty 1 of the about embarrassing days successful modern American history” now useful astatine the Pentagon.

Elias Irizarry, Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez said successful a connection to Beritaja, “is a qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to person him arsenic a governmental appointee.”

Valdez did not specify the job. The Washington Post first reported his appointment.

Irizarry was a 19-year-old student astatine The Citadel subject assemblage successful South Carolina astatine the clip of the riot.

Elias Irizarry.FBI

Federal prosecutors presented images of Irizarry entering the building done a surgery model holding a metallic pole, making his measurement into a convention room earlier entering the rotunda.

“Irizarry joined the mob for galore hours. After he equipped himself pinch a metallic pole, Irizarry watched arsenic rioters violently assaulted officers who were trying to make their measurement done the crowd,” prosecutors wrote successful tribunal documents related to his case. “He past climbed scaffolding to scope the precocious West terrace and encouraged and directed rioters by excitedly waving rioters up the stairs to summation entree to the building.”

He pleaded blameworthy to a misdemeanor complaint of entering and remaining successful a restricted building aliases grounds, and was sentenced to 14 days down bars.

Irizarry wrote a five-page missive to U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, apologizing for his actions and telling her that he had “brought awesome shame upon myself, my family, and, unfortunately, my country.”

“I person travel to appreciate, done each this, really fortunate we are to person a unchangeable government,” he wrote.

Trump pardoned Irizarry alongside hundreds of different Jan. 6 defendants connected his first time backmost successful agency successful 2025.