A former participant in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot who later admitted his involvement and expressed regret over his actions has secured a position at the U.S. Department of Defense.
Elias Irizarry, who pleaded guilty in connection with the Capitol breach, is now serving as a political appointee at the Pentagon, according to acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez.
“Elias Irizarry is a qualified, patriotic young professional, and we are proud to have him as a political appointee,” Valdez said in a statement.
While Pentagon officials confirmed his appointment, details of his specific role were not disclosed.
Irizarry was 19 years old and attending The Citadel when he joined the crowd that stormed the Capitol.
Court documents showed that he entered the building through a shattered window while carrying a metal pole. Prosecutors said he moved through parts of the Capitol, including a conference room and the rotunda, and remained with the crowd for several hours.
According to prosecutors, Irizarry armed himself with a metal pole, observed attacks on law enforcement officers, climbed scaffolding to reach an upper terrace, and encouraged other rioters to move toward the building.
He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted government area and received a 14-day jail sentence.
In a letter submitted to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan before sentencing, Irizarry apologized for his conduct and described the Capitol attack as “without a doubt one of the most embarrassing days in modern American history.”
He also wrote that he had “brought great shame upon myself, my family, and, unfortunately, my country.”
“I have come to appreciate, through all this, how fortunate we are to have a stable government,” he added.
Irizarry was later among hundreds of January 6 defendants granted pardons by Donald Trump on the first day of his return to office in 2025.
