Army Corps of Engineers Denies Permit for Memorial Run Honoring Jan. 6 Suicide Victim

Matthew Perna, 37, took his own life on Feb. 25 after more than a year under the cloud of criminal charges from his visit to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Background image: Matt Perna/Flickr; Left and right photos: Tayler Hansen/Twitter; center photo: Geri Perna

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not issue a permit for a planned 5K memorial run honoring the late Jan. 6 defendant Matthew Perna to cross the Shenango Dam near Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, saying it presents “security concerns” and could make it appear the corps endorses a political event in an election year.

Perna committed suicide on Feb. 25, 2022, after a 14-month ordeal with federal prosecutors who sought to jail him for more than four years.