2010 College graduate Patrick Stedman was sentenced to four years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and over 20 thousand dollars of fines for charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
Stedman, who was in the Capitol for over 40 minutes, was part of the “disorderly mob” that violated police lines, entered the Crypt, and entered the chambers and offices of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to a press release published by the District of Columbia Department of Justice. Evidence used against Stedman was a compilation of footage from police body-worn cameras, open-source video, Capitol surveillance footage, and social media posts.
"After he was expelled from the Capitol building by police, Stedman recorded a video for his followers, explaining that he had 'taken action' to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election and that the 'rats' – as he referred to members of Congress – had 'scurried into the tunnels' to escape," the press release said.
On Jan. 21, 2021, the FBI arrested Stedman in Haddonfield, New Jersey. On June 9, 2023, Stedman was convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, in addition to four misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing inside a Capitol building.
“I was pretty much in the first wave, and we broke down the doors and climbed up the back part of the Capitol building and got all the way into the chambers,” Stedman said in a video he recorded 11 minutes after he left the riot.
The insurrection was incited by 1968 Wharton graduate and former president Donald Trump, who was recently indicted on charges for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Former classmates at Haddonfield Memorial High School and Penn helped turn Stedman into the FBI, ultimately leading to his indictment, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
At Penn, Stedman double majored in History and Political Science and earned a minor in Modern Middle Eastern Studies, according to the MyPenn alumni database. Stedman also listed that he was involved with the Penn Debate Society and Penn Political Review.
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