123 Jan. 6 Defendants From TX Pardoned In Trump’s First Official Act

TEXAS — 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 123 from Texas.

They included Granbury resident and Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes III, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. Judge Amit Mehta said during his 2023 sentencing hearing that Rhodes presented "an ongoing threat and a peril to this country and its democracy."

Rhodes' sentence was one of 14 commuted by Trump in the sweeping pardon. He was released from a Cumberland, Maryland, federal prison early Tuesday morning.

Others whose sentences were commuted 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.

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.

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

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.

Jan. 6 defendants from Texas, according to a list curated by NPR, include:

Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, Granbury
Kellye SoRelle, Granbury
Daniel Page Adams, Goodrich
Luke Almond, Texas
Philip Anderson, Mesquite
David Rene Arredondo, El Paso
Thomas John Ballard, Fort Worth
Richard Franklin Barnard III, Georgetown
Joseph Cable Barnes. Austin
Dennis Wayne Barnes. Austin
Dana Jean Bell, Princeton
Bradley Stuart Bennett, Kerrville
Kevin Sam Blakely, McKinney
Jason Benjamin Blythe, Fort Worth
Brandon Lee Bradshaw, San Antonio
Cory Ray Brannan, Texas
Paul Thomas Brinson, Flower Mound
Larry Rendall Brock, Texas
Daniel Ray Caldwell, The Colony
Steven Cappuccio, Texas
Andrew Roman Carvajal, Austin
Luke Russell Coffee, Dallas
Thomas Paul Conover, Keller
Nolan Bernard Cooke, Savoy
Christian Glen Cortez, Seabrook
Jenny Louise Cudd, Midland
Matthew DaSilva, Collin County
David Allan Davis, Keller
Nick DeCarlo, Texas
Daniel Dustin Deneui, Colleyville
Lucas Denney, Mansfield
Robert Wayne Dennis, Garland
Treniss Jewel Evans III, Canyon Lake
Alexander Fan, Houston
Jason Farris, Arlington
Frederic Fiol, San Antonio
Judy Fraize, Houston
Jacob Elias Garcia, Burleson
Anthime Josephs Gionet, Houston
Billy Joe Gober, Smithville
Leah Eva Green, Dallas
Christopher Ray Grider, Chilton
Stacy Wade Hager, Gatesville
Alex Kirk Harkrider, Carthage
Steven Hassel, San Antonio
Donald Hazard, Hurst
David Brian Howard, Frisco
Jason Lee Hyland, Texas
Brian Scott Jackson, Katy
Adam Lejay Jackson, Katy
Sergio Herrera Jaramillo, Texas
Raul Eduardo Jarrin, Houston
Shane Leedon Jenkins, Houston
David Lee Judd, Carrollton
John Franklin Lammons, Galveston
Benjamin Larocca, Pearland
Joshua R. Lollar, Spring
Rebecca Lopez-Antonio, Grand Saline
Juan Lopez-Antonio, Grand Saline
Duong Dai Luu, Katy
William Christopher Lyon, Huntsville
Brandon Mackie, Weatherford
Nathan Mackie, Magnolia
Mario Mares, Ballinger
Michael Marroquin, Nederland
Michael Marroquin, San Antonio
Matthew Carl Mazzocco, San Antonio
Kyle Douglas McMahan, Watauga
William Hendry Mellors, Tomball
Jalise Middleton, Forestburg
Mark Middleton, Forestburg
Sally Ann Milavec, Fredericksburg
Garret Miller, Richardson
Landon Bryce Mitchell, Houston
Wilmar Jeovanny Montano Alvarado, Houston
Samuel Christopher Montoya, San Marcos
Craig Jackson Moore, Johnson City
Andrew Jackson Morgan Jr., Maxwell
Dawn Munn, Borger
Kayli Munn, Borger
Kristi Marie Munn, Borger
Thomas Munn, Borger
Ryan Taylor Nichols, Longview
Scott Alan O'Brien, Ponder
Paul Orta Jr., Rio Hondo
Jason Douglas Owens, Bianco
Jason Parsons, Texas
Nathan Donald Pelham, Greenville
Kerry Wayne Persick, Trophy Club
Tam Dinh Pham, Richmond
Daniel Dink Phipps, Garland
Roger Preacher, Ballinger
Jeffrey David Reed, Texas
Guy Wesley Reffitt, Wylie
Sebastian Reveles, Texas

Trina Reyes, Von Ormy
Eliel B. Rosa, Midland
Jennifer Leigh Ryan, Texas
Aron Joel Sanchez, Texas
William Patrick Sarsfield III, Gun Barrel City
Steve Saxiones, Cedar Hill
Kenneth Christian Paul Schulz, Dallas
Katherine Staveley Schwab, Texas
Geoffrey Samuel Shough, Austin
Jonathon Owen Shroyer, Austin
Troy Anthony Smocks, Dallas
Andrew Quentin Taake, Houston
Timothy Tedesco, Corpus Christi
Chance Anthony Uptmore, San Antonio
James Herman Uptmore, San Antonio
Sean David Watson, Alpine
Adam Mark Weibling, Katy
Ulises Wilkinson, McAllen
Elizabeth Rose Williams, Kerrville
Vic Don Williams, Odessa
Dustin Ray Williams, Brady
Micheal Kieth Williams, Point
Jared Lane Wise, New Braunfels
Jeffery Shane Witcher, Bastrop
Donald Ross Workman Jr., Hereford
Darrell Alan Youngers, Cleveland
Ryan Scott Zink, Lubbock

Trump has claimed they 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.