Trump Pardons 4 RivCo Men Of Jan 6 Charges

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Four Southwest Riverside County men who were convicted in 2021's Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol were pardoned by newly inaugurated President Donald Trump.

Trump granted clemency to 1,500 people convicted for their involvement in the 2021 breach, including a significant number of defendants who attacked law enforcement officers. Among those exonerated were also members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

Erik Scott Warner, 48, of Menifee, Felipe Antonio Martinez, 50, of Lake Elsinore, Derek Kinnison, 42, of Lake Elsinore, and Ronald Mele, 54, of Temecula were all previously convicted of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding — both felony offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"Derek Kinnison, the J6'r from California is out! Praise God and thank you President Trump! Looking foward to seeing him at [412 Church] this coming Sunday!" 412 Church Temecula Valley posted on Facebook this Monday.

The four Riverside County men are members of the Three Percenter militia in Southern California and had conspired together to travel to Washington, D.C. to collect weapons and intercept Congress from certifying results that named Joe Biden the president-elect.

"This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation," Trump wrote on Monday.

The mass exoneration has ended the largest investigation in U.S. Justice Department history.

Nearly 1,600 people were charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. More than 1,000 of them pleaded guilty. Approximately 250 others were convicted by a judge or jury after trials. Over 1,100 were sentenced, with more than 700 receiving a term of imprisonment ranging from several days to 22 years.

More than 130 police officers were injured during the riot. At least four officers who were at the Capitol later died by suicide. And Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick collapsed and died after engaging with the protesters. A medical examiner later said he died of natural causes.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said Wednesday that the heroism of officers who defended the Capitol "cannot be altered or ignored.”

"Grossly outnumbered, those law enforcement officers acted valiantly to protect the Members of Congress, their staff, the Vice President and his family, the integrity of the Capitol grounds, and the Capitol Building — our symbol of liberty and a symbol of democratic rule around the world," she wrote.

On Jan. 6, 2021, the four Riverside County men first attended the Ellipse "Stop the Steal" rally in which Trump addressed the crowd. Afterward, they headed toward the Capitol, according to prosecutors.

At 2 p.m., Kinnison, of Lake Elsinore, declared, "This is the storm of the Capitol," as the group reached the Capitol and began to move through the crowd.

Ten minutes later, Warner, of Menifee, joined rioters ascending the northwest stairs to the Upper West Terrace, an area officers were defending. Warner carried bear spray and wielded a thick wooden flagpole like a baton as he climbed. He commanded the mob to "hold the line."

Meanwhile, Martinez of Lake Elsinore, Kinnison and Mele of Temecula advanced against a police line on the northwest lawn. Mele rallied the crowd, shouting, "Push! Push! Push!" as the crowd surrounded officers, who were assaulted and ultimately forced to retreat.

At 2:13 p.m., Warner broke into the Capitol by climbing through a smashed window. Upon learning of Warner's entry via phone, Martinez called out, "We have to get up there!"

The three men then moved together, ascending the northwest stairs to join Warner on the Upper West Terrace. During their ascent, Mele filmed a "selfie" video in which he exclaimed, "Storm the Capitol!" All the while, the group was outfitted in tactical gear, including plate carriers, and armed with knives and cans of bear spray.

In the aftermath of the events, Warner and Kinnison deleted the DC Brigade Telegram chat from their phones in an attempt to conceal their involvement from investigators. The FBI arrested all four men on June 10, 2021.

Kollar-Kotelly said "will not change the truth of what happened" four years ago. She wrote her statement Wednesday as she dismissed one of nearly 1,600 cases stemming from the attack by a mob of Trump supporters.

"Those records are immutable and represent the truth, no matter how the events of January 6 are described by those charged or their allies," she wrote.

Kollar-Kotelly is one of more than 20 judges to oversee hundreds of cases tied to the Capitol breach. She released her statement in an order dismissing the case against Dominic Box, who was featured in the HBO documentary "Four Hours at the Capitol," was found guilty of charges including interfering with police during a civil disorder, a felony.

During a hearing last month, District Judge Amit Mehta said it would be "frightening" if Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes is pardoned for orchestrating a violent plot to keep Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 presidential election. Rhodes was serving an 18-year sentence when he was released from prison this week.

District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump nominee, said in November that handing out blanket pardons to Capitol rioters would be “ beyond frustrating and disappointing."

However, the newly elected president has cast the rioters as "hostages" and "patriots" despite the breadth of evidence brought forth by prosecutors. Trump has said that the cases were politically motivated despite no evidence of any coordination between the Justice Department and the White House.

“That’s breathtaking. This is a man who does not believe in the rule of law. He believes he can do as he pleases. He’s made that clear for many years,” said Chris Edelson, an assistant American University professor specializing in presidential powers.

An AP-NORC poll from January appears to show the American public's perspective on the matter. About half of Americans are “not very” or “not at all” confident that the Justice Department, the FBI or the Supreme Court will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during Trump’s second term. In each instance, roughly 3 in 10 are “somewhat” confident and about 2 in 10 are “extremely” or “very” confident, according to the poll.

Former President Joe Biden has also received criticism for pardoning relatives and public servants.

For critics of the pardons like Fishwick, the former U.S. attorney, the clemency risks adding to the misguided public perception that the criminal justice system is “rigged.”

“I think both Biden and Trump were using the pardon power as part of political statements," Fishwick said, "and that's not how the Founding Fathers envisioned them being implemented by the president.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

READ MORE: 4 Southwest Riverside County Men Convicted In Jan. 6 Capitol Breach