AI Generated Image
Judge tosses remaining Jan. 6 Proud Boys convictions after DOJ request
NBC News • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal judge dismissed the convictions of four Proud Boys—Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola—who attacked the Capitol in 2021, following a Justice Department request aligned with President Trump's mass pardons of Jan. 6 rioters.
- U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, appointed by Trump, expressed disapproval of the administration's decision but stated he had no choice but to grant the dismissal since the government declined to continue prosecution.
- The four men had been convicted in 2023 on multiple felony charges, including seditious conspiracy for all but Pezzola, and had their sentences commuted by Trump rather than fully pardoned.
- The Justice Department characterized the dismissal as an end to what it called "Biden-era weaponized prosecutions," reflecting Trump's known stance on clemency for those involved in the Capitol attack.
- Enrique Tarrio, another Proud Boys member who received clemency from Trump, celebrated the ruling as a victory, while Trump promoted an “anti-weaponization fund” to compensate individuals he viewed as unfairly prosecuted.
