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Elliot Bishai

Pardoned January 6 defendant

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Elliot Bishai, Fort Mill, South Carolina. He was 19 years old. Nineteen. Read that again before you read anything else. FACT: On January 6, 2021, Elliot was a member of the Civil Air Patrol, the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. That is a kid who volunteered, in uniform, for search and rescue and emergency services before he was old enough to rent a car. FACT: He drove to Washington. He went inside. He took pictures of the statues. That is what he told the magistrate, under oath, in his own words. FACT: He was charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building. Not assault. Not a weapon. Not destruction of property. FACT: Prosecutors sought 30 days. On 7/29/22 the court gave him 14 days, 12 months of supervised release, and $525. The judge heard everything both sides had to say, including material prosecutors raised from his phone, which Elliot did not contest was found there, and still landed at two weeks for a teenager. FACT: Elliot is now a firefighter. He travels the country working with the U.S. Forest Service. Wildland fire. That is the job where you walk toward the thing everyone else is running from, for a season at a time, away from your family, for not much money. FACT: On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued clemency covering January 6 defendants. Here is the whole story in one line: a 19-year-old made the worst decision of his life, took his 14 days, and then went and spent his twenties putting out fires for the rest of us. That is not a man who needs to be defined by one afternoon. That is a man who answered it. THE CASE RECORD Case number: 1:21-cr-282 Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Arrested 3/16/21. Initial appearance 3/22/21. Charged via criminal information 4/6/21. Arraigned 4/16/21, pleaded not guilty. Superseding indictment 12/15/21. Pleaded guilty 4/25/22. Sentenced 7/29/22 to 14 days in jail, 12 months supervised release, $500 restitution. DOJ page: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/defendants/bishai-elliot This profile is unclaimed. If this is you, or your family, claiming it is free, forever.