Ex-federal defense contractor is 1st Capitol riot defendant to be acquitted

A Trump flag at the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

(Image credit: Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

published 7 April 2022

A federal judge on Wednesday acquitted Matthew Martin, a New Mexico resident and former federal contractor facing misdemeanor charges in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

This is the first acquittal of a Capitol riot defendant.

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U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden said it was "not unreasonable" for Martin to believe law enforcement officials were letting some demonstrators come inside, and ruled that prosecutors did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Martin knew he was entering a restricted area. Martin faced charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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