Public January 6 profile · ready to claim

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.