NJ Marine Reservist Sentenced For Entering Capitol On Jan. 6

WRIGHTSTOWN, NJ — A Burlington County Marine reservist has been sentenced to time behind bars after he pleaded guilty to his role in the attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

A judge in Washington, D.C. sentenced Marcos Panayiotou, 30, to 14 days of intermittent incarceration and 36 months of probation, on Nov. 29, court records show. That means the time can be divided into smaller periods.

Panayiotou pleaded guilty in August to the misdemeanor offense of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. He told the court he was determined to make his "poor choice of judgment" into a "teaching moment," and said he would never appear before a court again in his life, the Courier Post reported.

According to court records, Panayiotou was released from active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps around May 8, 2020. He had enrolled as a reservist.

Panayiotou was arrested on Dec. 2, 2021 after an anonymous tipster sent authorities an image of the Marine reservist inside the Capitol building, authorities said.

He entered through the Senate Wing door and was seen in various parts of the building, including the hallways outside of the House Gallery and Rotunda, authorities said. He was wearing a red hat that read, “Make Politicians Afraid Again.”

Panayiotou’s mother told the tipster that he had been inside the Capitol after the police “let them in,” authorities said.

Another family member confirmed that he had been inside the Capitol building, while another described him as, “very patriotic, but does stupid things sometimes,” according to authorities.

Anthony Bellano contributed to this report.