A man who was pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role in the 6 January 2021 US Capitol attack has been sentenced to seven years in prison for a burglary in Virginia. Zachary Alam, 34, was convicted in October 2025 of breaking into an occupied home and grand larceny, and was sentenced on Thursday by Henrico County Circuit Court Judge Randall G Johnson.
Alam had previously received an eight-year prison sentence for his involvement in the Capitol riot, where he was described by officers as 'by far the loudest, the most combative and the most violent of the rioters'. He served nearly four years before being granted an unconditional pardon by Trump in January 2025, along with about 1,500 other supporters.
According to prosecutors, Alam broke into a home near Richmond, Virginia on 8 May 2025, claiming to be there to fix the internet when confronted by the residents. He fled with electronics and jewellery before being arrested the next day. The jury found him guilty of breaking and entering into an occupied dwelling and grand larceny.
Judge Johnson sentenced Alam to 20 years on each charge but suspended 13 years of the breaking and entering sentence and the entirety of the grand larceny term, leaving seven years to serve. Alam was also ordered to 20 years of probation on each count upon release.
Prosecutors presented a recorded phone call in which Alam expressed belief he had done 'the right thing' during the Capitol attack, echoing his earlier comments at his federal sentencing. Henrico County prosecutor Shannon Taylor said the pardon 'emboldened him to believe the law does not apply to him', but noted the clemency did not cover state charges.
Alam's arrest is believed to be the first post-pardon new crime charge for a Capitol rioter, though others have since been arrested for similar offences. At the Capitol attack, Alam was among the first to enter the building and shattered a glass door through which Ashli Babbitt climbed before being shot dead by police.
