Lyons participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack and stole a photograph of Congressman John Lewis and a staff member's[5] wallet[1] containing approximately $150 during the riot.[4] During the attack, Lyons was belligerent towards the Capitol Police, calling them "Nazis" and "SS".[4] Lyons filmed his activities inside the Capitol building; his footage was used in the trial of rioter Riley Williams.[6]
Lyons operated the Instagram account @chi_hvac[7] and the FBI identified him from a post he shared featuring a sign outside Pelosi's office,[8][9] arrested him in January 2021, and charged him with theft.[1] On July 14, 2023, judge Beryl Howell found Lyons guilty of theft and sentenced him to four years and three months in prison.[4] Howell had previously found Lyons guilty of six charges[10] of obstructing an official proceeding,[4] in April 2023.[2] In court, Lyons described himself as an "idiot".[4]
Lyons was the first person from Illinois to be charged with crimes associated with the Capitol attack[11] and his sentence was the longest given to any Capitol rioter from the state until the sentencing of Shane Jason Woods later that year.[2][12]
In November 2023, a conspiracy theory claimed Lyons, seen on video holding a vape pen, was an undercover FBI agent holding a badge. The theory was promoted by far-right political figures including Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.[13]