Zachary Alam (U.S. Attorney’s Office)
Washington, Oct. 25, 2024 — A Virginia man convicted of violently breaching the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection was sentenced to eight years in prison this week.
Zachary Jordan Alam, 32, received the sentence after being found guilty of numerous charges, including assaulting officers and destruction of government property.
The U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, a Trump appointee, also imposed 36 months of supervised release and ordered Alam to pay $4,484 in restitution.
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His actions were highlighted by federal prosecutors as some of the most violent among rioters that day.
Alam’s sentencing follows a series of high-profile legal actions tied to the Jan. 6 riots, with many defendants facing significant prison terms.
He was charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including civil disorder, trespassing, disorderly conduct, and picketing in a restricted building.
According to prosecutors, Alam displayed “violent and aggressive” behavior and repeatedly sought to instigate other rioters, ultimately smashing glass windows in the Speaker’s Lobby only moments before Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot by a Capitol officer.
Rioters scale a wall at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Photo: AP
Alam’s Actions at the Capitol
Court documents indicate that Alam’s aggression began early on Jan. 6.
Prosecutors described how he assisted others in scaling barriers, using makeshift ladders propped against Capitol structures to breach the building.
He entered through a broken window near the Senate Wing emergency exit at approximately 2:17 p.m., joining a wave of rioters storming the halls of Congress.
Over the next 30 minutes, Alam reportedly moved through the Capitol, engaging in increasingly aggressive actions on different floors.
According to court records, Alam kicked at doors, threw a red velvet rope from a balcony toward police officers below, and vocally antagonized officers in the Will Rogers corridor.
By 2:33 p.m., he had joined a mob forcing its way through a police line, yelling and laughing with other rioters as they clashed with law enforcement.
Upon reaching the Speaker’s Lobby, Alam stood at the head of a crowd of rioters gathered near the chamber as members of Congress and staff evacuated.
Witnesses recounted Alam’s shouts at Capitol officers: “I’m going to f— you up.”
According to witness accounts and security footage, he then punched and shattered three glass panes before obtaining a helmet to further smash the glass.
He turned to other rioters at one point and urged them, “We need guns, bro … we need guns.”
Defense and Sentencing
During his sentencing hearing, Alam asked the court for leniency, indicating that he intended to request a presidential pardon once Donald Trump assumed office.
“Trump just won the presidential election less than 48 hours ago,” Alam claimed.
“Was the 2021 transfer of presidential power warranted? I don’t think so.”
Alam’s public statement reflected a belief in election conspiracies still held by some Jan. 6 rioters.
Alam’s attorney, Steven Metcalf, urged the court for a lighter sentence of 57 months, nearly five years.
In his sentencing memo, Metcalf argued that Alam had acted independently, without affiliation with extremist groups, and that he left the building after witnessing Babbitt’s shooting.
He cited Alam’s troubled personal history, highlighting his struggles with fitting in, saying, “Alam is lost in this world … He wanted to fit in, it did not matter with whom.”
Metcalf argued Alam had become a public figure vilified by both sides of the political spectrum and even viewed as a federal agent or an anarchist by some.
In their sentencing memo, federal prosecutors recommended 136 months, or roughly 11 years, pointing to Alam’s “persistent violent behavior” that day.
“He spent the day antagonizing officers and inciting other rioters, culminating in his repeated violent and forceful attempts to reach congressional members and staffers as they frantically evacuated the House floor,” prosecutors noted.
Prosecutors also emphasized Alam’s attempts to flee following Jan. 6, recounting his arrest on Jan. 30, 2021, at a motel in Denver, Pennsylvania.
They revealed that law enforcement agents discovered his journal, which detailed plans to evade capture, set up new bank accounts, and communicate via a “burner” phone to avoid detection.
Troubled Past and Radicalization
Defense documents submitted to the court delved into Alam’s personal background, noting the former medical student’s financial and social struggles.
His mother is of Pennsylvania Dutch descent, and his father is Palestinian, and the tension between Alam and his family reportedly worsened after he left medical school.
The memo shared how he lived out of a storage unit for a time, where he would sneak in and out to maintain privacy and avoid detection by others.
Alam relied on local gyms for personal hygiene, a routine disrupted when COVID-19 closures left him without access to basic facilities.
“Something then changed in Alam,” the sentencing memo stated, attributing his participation in the Jan. 6 events to isolation and a desire to feel accepted.
Metcalf argued that these experiences alienated Alam, fostering his radicalization and leading him to the Capitol that day.
Context and Broader Legal Actions
Alam’s sentencing joins a series of decisions affecting key figures from the Jan. 6 riots, including prominent cases such as that of an armed rioter who pursued Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman and Sidney Powell, who faces separate legal troubles concerning the 2020 election.
According to NBC News’ Ryan Reilly, a journalist covering Jan. 6 cases extensively and author of Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System, Alam’s case underscores the challenges courts face when balancing punishment with defendants’ unique personal histories.
