A Jan. 6 rioter who was identified by his Eagles beanie was granted court permission to attend inauguration

A South Jersey man awaiting trial for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection has been granted permission to return to Washington next week to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

Lee Giobbie, 41, of Eastampton Township, was arrested and charged last year with participating in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. FBI agents, with the help of online sleuths, identified him by the forest green Eagles beanie featuring a throwback logo that he wore that day.

Now, a federal judge has granted Giobbie permission to head back to the Capitol for the first time since the insurrection, and on a day when Trump could issue widespread pardons of those convicted for participating in the attack. Such an act could also prompt the dismissal of pending cases like Giobbie's.

The Justice Department has charged more than 1,500 people with ransacking the Capitol and participating in the violent melee that sought to block certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory over Trump. More than 1,000 people have been convicted of offenses ranging from trespassing to seditious conspiracy. About 10% of those charged are from Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

As he awaits a resolution to his case, Giobbie is barred by the court from traveling to Washington, except to see his attorney there. But, in a Jan. 10 ruling, U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols made an exception for Trump's second inauguration, allowing Giobbie to travel back to the Capitol on Monday.

He is one of several defendants who have made similar requests to the court to see Trump sworn in. Some have been granted, others have not.

"The dividing line that seems to be drawn is charged or convicted," said Giobbie's attorney William Shipley, who represents dozens of Jan 6. defendants, four of whom have also had motions granted to attend the inauguration.

Shipley noted that because Giobbie has not gone to trial, he is presumed innocent. And the charges his client faces are not violent crimes, which Shipley thinks helped sway the judge to grant his motion.

Still, the federal government unsuccessfully opposed Giobbie's return to the Capitol, recalling the violence that resulted during his last visit.

"The last organized event that Giobbie attended in Washington, D.C., spiraled into a full-scale riot. Washington, D.C., and specifically the United States Capitol, is the last place that Giobbie should be allowed to visit," U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves wrote in opposition to the motion. "... This was the scene of his crime — a crime which contributed to the violent disruption of the peaceful transition of power."

What becomes of Giobbie's case remains to be seen. Trump has promised to pardon some of the people convicted of crimes related to the Capitol attack as soon as he takes office, but it's unclear who will receive those pardons.

"President Trump will pardon Americans who were denied due process and unfairly prosecuted by the weaponized Department of Justice," Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump's transition team, said in an email to The Inquirer earlier this month.

But the anticipation of widespread pardons has led attorneys for at least two other local Jan. 6 defendants to ask federal judges to delay their forthcoming court proceedings.

Shipley said he believes that if Trump pardons people convicted of nonviolent offenses, it would be a good sign for those like Giobbie awaiting trial on similar charges.

"Best expectation is simply that there's a move by the DOJ next week to simply dismiss his case," Shipley said.

Giobbie was charged in January 2024, about a year after he was identified by a network of amateur online sleuths who gathered online to identify and turn in hundreds of rioters.

He is one of several people who were caught while wearing their team colors during the attack. A Michigan man was tracked down in part by his Detroit Red Wings gear, prompting the online investigators to nickname him "RightWingRedWing."

A K-9 officer from Boston was identified, in part, due to a beanie with the logos of several Beantown sports teams. Others charged in the insurrection were wearing Washington Capitals jerseys, New York Yankees paraphernalia, and gear from college sports teams that helped authorities to identify them.

According to the indictment, videos from outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, show Giobbie encouraging rioters as they pushed against officers and the bike rack barricades.

"Move the gates," agents said he shouted over his bullhorn at the crowd.

Giobbie, authorities said, was one of the first to rush up the central steps of the Capitol building. And as police attempted to form a new line to keep the mob out, Giobbie — through his bullhorn — allegedly urged the crowd to "push, push, push, push."

"We need something to break the door down," Giobbie shouted to the crowd in another video, according to court filings.

As the mob streamed inside, agents say, Giobbie briefly followed, making his way through the Rotunda and eventually back outside after police stopped him in a Capitol stairwell, prosecutors said.

Giobbie is charged with one felony count of civil disorder, punishable by up to five years in prison. An earlier charge of obstructing justice was dropped.

A former licensed securities dealer, Giobbie had his securities license suspended and he lost his job running a brokerage house after he was charged in the Capitol attack, his attorney said. "He's suffered some serious consequences," Shipley said. "His profession was dramatically impacted."

Staff writers Abraham Gutman and Chris Palmer contributed to this article.