Former Montclair HS student sentenced to 14 days for role in Jan. 6 Capitol riots

John Connolly and Julia Martin, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read
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Former Montclair High School student Elias Irizarry was sentenced to 14 days on Wednesday for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Irizarry, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in a plea deal last fall, was facing up to a year in prison although the Department of Justice recommended no more than six months. He must also must pay $500 in restitution toward the $2.7 million in damages to the Capitol building.

At his sentencing in a federal courtroom in Washington, D.C., Irizarry read a statement, according to media reports:

“I made a mistake on January 6th, the worst in my life, and I stood on the wrong side. I chose to allow myself to become a pawn in a struggle to redefine our liberal democracy for the worst. I stand here today to tell you that no matter what is decided today, it is my promise that I will someday redeem myself."

His father is veteran soap opera actor Vincent Irizarry, who appeared for years on “All My Children” and “Guiding Light.”

In a criminal complaint filed by the FBI last year, Irizarry and another man, Elliot Bishai, are seen in photos and videos in a crowd that overpowers the police and enters the Capitol. He is wearing a red hoodie, a red Make American Great Again hat, dark-colored gloves, a red face covering, brown boots and holds a pipe as he climbs in through a broken window. He was in the Capitol for a half hour, walking down corridors and taking photos next to a statue of Dwight Eisenhower.

Irizarry was a cadet at Citadel, a military college in Charleston, South Carolina, at the time of the Capitol riot. He was suspended from the Citadel in the December after he pleaded guilty for "conduct unbecoming a cadet." Irizarry will be able to reapply for admission.

While a student at Montclair High School, Irizarry was chairman of the Essex County Teenage Republicans. In 2017 he spoke at a Township Council meeting against naming Montclair a sanctuary city. “We need to put Montclair citizens first, not undocumented foreigners,” he said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Capitol rioter sentenced: Former Montclair HS student took part