152 Jan. 6 Defendants From FL Pardoned In Trump’s First Official Act

FLORIDA — In the first in a blizzard of executive actions after arriving at the White House Monday, newly inaugurated President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, including 152 from Florida.

Trump also commuted the sentences of another 14 people, including leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. These were charged with some of the most serious and high-profile cases.

The decision amounted to a sweeping cloak of impunity for Trump supporters who upended the country’s tradition of peaceful transfers of power by trying to overturn his election defeat four years ago. Trump described them as “hostages” and said he expected them to be freed shortly.

Those pardoned included former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison — the longest term of imprisonment among all of those charged with the Jan. 6 attack — on a conviction of seditious conspiracy.

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• FL Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Seeks Jan. 6 Pardon From Trump

Earlier this month, ahead of the inauguration, Tarrio sought a pardon from Trump, Patch previously reported.

“Henry ‘Enrique’ Tarrio was portrayed throughout the Government’s case as a right-wing extremist that promoted a neo-fascist militant organization,” his lawyer wrote in a letter to Trump. “Henry is nothing more than a proud American that believes in true conservative values.”

Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers militia, who had received the second-longest sentence — 18 years — on his seditious conspiracy conviction was released from a Cumberland, Maryland, federal prison early Tuesday morning.

Trump also ordered the attorney general to seek the dismissal of roughly 450 cases that are pending before judges stemming from the largest investigation in Justice Department history.

Others from Florida who were pardoned include:

Kelly Meggs of Dunnellon: He and his wife stormed the Capitol with a group of Oath Keepers. He was found guilty of multiple charges in November 2022 and later sentenced to 12 years incarceration.

Meggs allegedly messaged someone on Facebook, "Trump said It's gonna be wild!!!!!!! It's gonna be wild!!!!!!! He wants us to make it WILD that's what he's saying. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!!”

Adam Johnson of Parrish: Better known as “Lectern Guy” after being photographed smiling and waving while carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern, Johnson was also among the Jan. 6 rioters pardoned. He pleaded guilty to charges in February 2022 and spent 75 days in federal prison.

Joseph Hackett of Sarasota: The chiropractor who stormed the Capitol with a group of Oath Keepers was found guilty of multiple charges in February 2023 and sentenced to 42 months in prison. His sentence was commuted as of Monday.

See the full list of Florida residents charged in the Jan. 6 riot here.

Trump has claimed they and others were unfairly treated by the Justice Department, which also charged him with federal crimes in two cases he contends were politically motivated. Trump said the pardons will end “a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years” and begin “a process of national reconciliation.”

The pardons were met with elation from Trump supporters and lawyers for the Jan. 6 defendants. Trump supporters gathered late Monday in the cold outside the Washington jail, where more than a dozen defendants were being held before the pardons.

“We are deeply thankful for President Trump for his actions today,” said James Lee Bright, an attorney who represented Rhodes.

“This marks a pivotal moment in our client’s life, and it symbolizes a turning point for our nation,” Tarrio attorney Nayib Hassan said in a statement. “We are optimistic for the future, as we now turn the page on this chapter, embracing new possibilities and opportunities.””

Democrats slammed the move to extend the pardons to violent rioters, many of whose crimes were captured on camera and broadcast on live TV.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution.”

“Donald Trump is ushering in a Golden Age for people that break the law and attempt to overthrow the government," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in an emailed statement.

Former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who lost consciousness and suffered a heart attack after a rioter shocked him with a stun gun, appeared taken aback to learn from an Associated Press reporter that those who assaulted police officers are among the pardon recipients.

“This is what the American people voted for,” he said. “How do you react to something like that?”

Fanone said he has spent the past four years worried about his safety and the well-being of his family. Pardoning his assailants only compounds his fears, he said.

“I think they’re cowards,” he said. “Their strength was in their numbers and the mob mentality. And as individuals, they are who they are.”

The Associated Press contributed reporting.