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Michael Fitzgerald

Pardoned January 6 defendant

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Mike Fitzgerald is a veteran, a husband, and a father from Janesville, Wisconsin, who called the FBI on himself and never ran from the record. Start with who he is. Fitzgerald served his country in uniform. He came home, built a life with his wife Meaghan, and together they started the Veterans First Foundation, a nonprofit helping veterans avoid homelessness, navigate benefits, and get help for PTSD. That is a man trying to give back, not take. Here is his account of January 6. He said he saw a Facebook post about a bus to Washington and figured it was his chance to finally see the capital and hear President Trump speak. His wife told him not to go; he told her he just wanted the speech and the monuments. After the rally, the crowd moved toward the Capitol. He says he saw no barricades stopping people from reaching the inaugural stage, then Capitol Police fired tear gas into the crowd around him. He says he went into what he called survival mode, was pushed forward, and ended up inside the building for roughly 40 minutes before leaving through a window. Days later, watching the news at home, he learned his photo had circulated. On January 9, he called the FBI himself and turned himself in. The legal fight. He was arrested April 7, 2021, and charged with obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, unlawfully entering restricted grounds, and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned May 7, 2021, and pleaded not guilty. He has said the legal fight put real strain on his family, and the foundation he and Meaghan built had to be put on hold. THEIR ACCOUNT. Then came January 20, 2025, and President Trump's clemency order for January 6 defendants, which covers Fitzgerald's case. What this does not prove: it does not prove he assaulted anyone. His charges were entry and disorderly-conduct counts, not violence counts, and he turned himself in voluntarily before agents came for him. What this does prove: Military service, a nonprofit built to help other veterans, a self-surrender, and a clemency that closed the legal chapter. THE CASE RECORD Name: Michael Fitzgerald Location: Janesville, Wisconsin Case: 21-cr-326, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Arrested: April 7, 2021 (self-surrendered to the FBI) Charges: Obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; entering a restricted building; disorderly conduct Clemency: Covered by the January 20, 2025 presidential clemency for January 6 defendants This profile is unclaimed. If this is you, or your family, claiming it is free, forever.