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Philip Sean Grillo

Pardoned January 6 defendant

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Philip Sean Grillo is a Queens man, a Republican district leader, and a Knights of Columbus member who got identified by his own fraternal order jacket. He calls himself the Republican Messiah. He does not hide. He never has. He took his case to a jury instead of a plea. He lost. He got pardoned. Then he filed to run for office again. You can call Philip Grillo a lot of things. Quiet is not one of them. WHO HE IS FACT: Philip Sean Grillo is from Queens, New York, and served as a Republican district leader there. CNBC, FOX 5 New York, the Washington Times, the Queens Daily Eagle, and Audacy WCBS 880 all covered him in that role. FACT: He is publicly known by the nickname the Republican Messiah, which he uses himself. Law and Crime and Queens Patch reported it. FACT: He was identified in part by a Knights of Columbus jacket, the coat of a Catholic fraternal service order. Law and Crime reported the identification. FACT: He ran for the congressional seat formerly held by George Santos. NBC News and The Hill covered the campaign. FACT: In February 2026 he filed to run for a Queens Assembly seat. The Queens Daily Eagle reported the filing. THE LEGAL FIGHT FACT: Arrested February 23, 2021. Initial appearance held March 12, 2021. Released on personal recognizance. CHARGE ONLY, per the DOJ record: Unlawful Entry on Restricted Buildings or Grounds; Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds; Obstruction of Justice or Congress. FACT: Philip Grillo did not plead out. He went to trial and he testified in his own defense. FACT: In late 2023 he was convicted on felony obstruction and other counts. NBC News, The Hill, and Queens Patch reported the verdict. FACT: On January 20, 2025, President Trump granted clemency covering the January 6 prosecutions. NEEDS AUTHENTICATION: this archive preserved case number 1:21-mj-245 from the DOJ mirror. Public dockets also list a criminal case captioned United States v. Grillo, 1:21-cr-00690, in the same court. Send the docket sheets and we will align the record. WHAT THIS DOES NOT PROVE It does not prove the jury got it right or got it wrong. It proves there was a jury, which is more than most of these cases can say. WHAT IT DOES PROVE Philip Sean Grillo made the government carry its burden in front of twelve people. He sat in the witness chair. Then he went back to Queens and put his name on a ballot again. That is a man who believes the record is on his side. CASE RECORD Name: Philip Sean Grillo Hometown: Queens, New York Case number: 1:21-mj-245 (per the preserved DOJ record) Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Arrest date: February 23, 2021 DOJ record: justice.gov/usao-dc/defendants/grillo-philip-sean This profile is unclaimed. If this is you, or your family, claiming it is free, forever.