La Salle County man pardoned for Jan. 6 involvement

One of the Jan. 6 protesters pardoned on Monday is a La Salle County man who served part of an 18-month sentence.

Mathew W. Capsel, listed as an Ottawa resident at the time he was brought up on federal charges, had pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of civil disorder in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C.

Capsel did not return a message seeking comment. He posted a screen shot from his attorney apparently advising him to “Give it a day or two” before responding to media requests.

But on his Facebook page, Capsel told followers he was among those pardoned. He also posted screen shots of text messages from his attorney advising him what was to come.

“Your supervised release will end,” the attorney advised Capsel, according to posted excerpts. “You’ll get a certificate in the mail at some point pardoning you. And you will no longer have a conviction on your record. That’s about all I know now.”

Capsel also posted an excerpt from an interview he gave to the Chicago Tribune in which he said, “I have a lot of regrets for what happened on that day, for sure.”

Capsel was initially charged with three felonies on Jan. 19, 2021, less than two weeks after protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol. He was later apprehended in Southern Illinois.

At sentencing, Capsel’s lawyer asked for leniency and said Capsel wielded no weapon, arrived with no protective gear (he was handed eye protection after arrival) and the contact with the National Guard was limited to touching a protective shield with his shoulder for seven seconds or less.