President Trump Grants Pardons to January 6 Defendants, Including Proud Boys and Oath Keepers | US News
Former Proud Boys leader Henry ‘Enrique’ Tarrio, who previously warned about the possibility of a second US civil war and was convicted of seditious conspiracy, is among the 1,500 individuals charged for the January 6 events to receive clemency from President Donald Trump.
Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison—the longest sentence handed down to any Capitol Riots defendant—for his involvement in orchestrating the insurrection aimed at halting the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
President Trump has often characterized those imprisoned for their roles on January 6 as “political prisoners,” and on his first day back in office, he enacted a broad clemency order, granting pardons to over 1,500 of these defendants.
“No quarter. Raise the black flag,” Tarrio had fervently expressed online in November 2020, upset over Biden’s election victory. In pursuit of keeping Trump in power, he and associates devised a plan that ultimately led to the Capitol breach.
Read more: How four Proud Boys secretly plotted to dismantle American democracy
Tarrio has since received a full pardon from President Trump, with his attorney indicating that he is expected to be released from prison on Monday evening.
“This represents a significant moment in our client’s life, symbolizing a pivotal change for our country,” said Nayib Hassan in a statement.
“We are hopeful for the future, ready to close this chapter and explore new opportunities.”
Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean, and Dominic Pezzola
Fellow Proud Boys Biggs, Rehl, and Nordean were tried alongside Tarrio for conspiring to forcibly oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power (seditious conspiracy) and facing several other charges concerning January 6.
US attorney Jason McCullough stated that in the aftermath of the 2020 election, the defendants began “calling for action, urging for war” if their preferred candidate wasn’t victorious.
The prosecution presented what they claimed was a clandestine Proud Boys internal plan named “1776 Returns,” a provocative document that outlined strategies to seize control of buildings on January 6.
Biggs, Rehl, and Nordean held leadership positions within the Proud Boys and received some of the most prolonged sentences related to the riots: Nordean was sentenced to 18 years, Biggs to 17 years, and Rehl to 15 years.
Pezzola, who faced charges for attacking former Capitol Police Officer Mark Ode by taking his riot shield and using it to break a window at the Capitol, was sentenced to 10 years.
All four have had their sentences reduced.
Elmer Stewart Rhodes
Rhodes, the founder of the militant Oath Keepers group, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
Despite not entering the US Capitol, he was convicted for conspiring to employ force against Congress to thwart the certification of the election.
During the trial, prosecutors presented encrypted messages, recordings, and surveillance footage in which Rhodes discussed the prospect of a “violent” civil war, cautioning members they might need to “rise up in insurrection” should Trump fail to act against Biden.
The former army paratrooper, known for wearing an eye patch after accidentally injuring himself with his own firearm, received an 18-year prison sentence, now commuted.
Kelly Meggs
Meggs, an Oath Keepers “chapter leader” from Florida, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy along with other offenses.
His spouse, Connie, was also charged and convicted in a separate trial.
He received a 12-year sentence which has been commuted by Trump, while his wife, like many January 6 defendants, also received a pardon.
Kenneth Harrelson and Jessica Watkins
Associates of the Oath Keepers, Harrelson and Watkins, faced trial alongside Rhodes and Kelly Meggs on seditious conspiracy charges.
Although the jury acquitted them on that charge, they were convicted on several other counts.
Read more from Sky News:
Trump to withdraw US from landmark Paris agreement – again
List of executive orders signed by Trump on his first day in office
Watkins, a transgender woman who spoke candidly during the trial about her identity struggles while serving in the military, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years, while Harrelson received a four-year sentence.
Both had their sentences commuted.
Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Joseph Hackett, and David Moerschel
Minuta, Vallejo, Hackett, and Moerschel were members of the Oath Keepers who faced trial and were found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
Their sentences—four-and-a-half years for Minuta, three years for Moerschel and Vallejo, and 42 months for Hackett—were commuted by President Trump.