A Tennessee resident, Allan Jennings, aged 57, has been sentenced for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. The incident disrupted a joint session of Congress that was convened to certify the electoral votes of the 2020 presidential election. Jennings, from Hillsboro, Tennessee, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,825 in restitution and fines by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton.
Jennings had previously pleaded guilty to charges of civil disorder, a felony, and destruction of government property, a misdemeanor. According to court documents, Jennings traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the “Stop the Steal” rally and other related events. Following the rally, he joined a large crowd that had gathered at the West Plaza of the Capitol, which later turned violent.
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By around 2:40 p.m., the crowd began to attack law enforcement officers, prompting officers to retreat into the Capitol building via the Tunnel entrance. At approximately 2:41 p.m., Jennings was among the first to pursue the officers into the Tunnel, where he used a pair of medical scissors with a glass-breaking end to shatter one of the glass doors. This allowed the mob to push through the doors and confront the police line.
After shattering the glass, Jennings moved toward the police line, briefly putting his hands on an officer’s shield before retreating to the middle of the crowd. He exited the Tunnel around 2:47 p.m. and returned to the Lower West Terrace. Jennings was arrested by the FBI on September 12, 2023, in Tennessee.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The FBI’s Knoxville and Washington Field Offices led the investigation, with support from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Since the events of January 6, 2021, over 1,504 individuals have been charged across nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol breach. This includes more than 560 individuals charged with felonies for assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation into the events of that day is ongoing, and tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visiting tips.fbi.gov.
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