A Virginia man who was pardoned by the Trump administration after being seen smashing the Speaker’s Lobby door during Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol was charged with burglary.
Henrico County police responded to a call for breaking and entering on May 9. The police officers spoke with the homeowners, who said that around 8:30 p.m. local time, an unknown man entered their home in Arthurwood Place through the back door.
The individual allegedly took “several” items before being observed by people in the house and was asked to leave, Henrico County police said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
Law enforcement on Tuesday identified the suspect as Zachary Jordan Alam, 33, of Centreville, Va., who they said was arrested in a neighborhood near the crime scene.
Alam was charged with residential breaking and entering and vandalism, according to Henrico County police. The statement did not specify the date of the charges.
Upon returning to the office in January, President Trump pardoned nearly all Jan. 6 defendants.
“What they’ve done to these people is outrageous,” the president said at the time.
Alam was convicted on charges related to smashing the glass panes of the Speaker’s Lobby door with a black helmet. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in November last year.
“I believe in my heart that I was doing the right thing,” Alam said in court at the time, referring to his actions following Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally.
Prosecutors previously said that Alam assisted other rioters in scaling barriers. When he was inside the Capitol building, he allegedly threw a red velvet rope from the balcony at law enforcement and attempted to kick a door on the fourth floor.