He promised to and he did: on day one of his second term,
President Donald Trump pardoned almost all of the nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 rioters . About 140 of them were from Florida. Not everyone got a pardon. Fourteen people involved from across the country who were charged with seditious conspiracy, including top members of two militia groups — the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys — had their sentences commuted instead. Several Florida names are on that list, including Joe Biggs of Ormond Beach, the leader of the Volusia County Proud Boys, and Oath Keepers Joseph Hackett, Kenneth Harrelson, Kelly Meggs and David Moerschel. The Proud Boys national chairman, Enrique Tarrio of Miami, who received the longest sentence handed down in connection with the insurrection (22 years), received a pardon. The
White House released a proclamation that listed the people whose sentences had been commuted and went on to "grant a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021." About 1,270 had been convicted and 1,100 had been sentenced by that point,
according to the Justice Department . Due to the cold Monday, President Trump took the oath of office to become president of the United States for the second time inside, in the Capitol Rotunda, where four years previously
his supporters had assaulted police and stormed the building in an attempt to keep him in power after president Joe Biden's victory in 2020. Trump
repeatedly pledged to
pardon what he has referred to as unfairly treated
"political prisoners" and "hostages." Who were the Jan. 6 rioters from Florida who had their sentences commuted?
BIGGS, Joseph Randall, Ormond Beach (Proud Boys): Leader of Volusia County Proud Boys and the
Ministry of Self Defense , a group singled out to spearhead the assault. Convicted of seditious conspiracy; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to use force, intimidation or threats to prevent officers of the United States from discharging their duties; interference with law enforcement during a civil disorder; and destruction of government property, sentenced to 17 years in prison.
HACKETT, Joseph , Sarasota (Oath Keepers): Chiropractor. One of four Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy along with David Moerschel of Punta Gorda. The DOJ said Hackett was part of a group of Oath Keepers who formed a military-style stack formation to push into the Capitol. Found guilty by a jury of seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of an official proceeding; and conspiracy to prevent members of Congress from discharging their official duties; and destruction of evidence. Sentenced to 42 months in prison and three years supervised release.
HARRELSON, Kenneth , Titusville (Oath Keepers): Army veteran. Charged with seditious conspiracy along with Oath Keepers founder
Stewart Rhodes , Jessica Watkins, Thomas Caldwell and Kelly Meggs and Ken Harrelson, although Rhodes and Meggs were the only defendants found guilty of that. Found guilty by jury of obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties, and tampering with documents or proceedings, sentenced to four years in prison and two years supervised release.
MEGGS, Kelly , Dunnellon (Oath Keepers): Leader of the Oath Keepers Florida chapter. Sentenced along with Elmer Stewart Rhodes of Texas, the Oath Keepers founder and leader, for seditious conspiracy, Meggs was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties, and tampering with documents or proceedings.. Sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
MOERSCHEL, David , Punta Gorda (Oath Keepers): Found guilty of seditious conspiracy with three other Oath Keepers, including Joseph Hackett of Sarasota for organizing teams that were ready abd willing ti use force and bringing firearms and ammunition into Washington, D.C., according to the DOJ. Also found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of an official proceeding; and conspiracy to prevent members of Congress from discharging their official duties, sentenced to 3 years in prison and 3 years supervised release.
Stewart Rhodes, who was leader of the Oath Keepers , had been sentenced to 18 years in prison. Others were Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, Dominic Pezzola and Jeremy Bertino.
A commutation of sentence and pardon are different forms of executive clemency, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Executive clemency is a broad term that applies to the president's constitutional power to exercise leniency toward persons who have committed federal crimes, according to the DOJ.
What is commutation of sentence ?
If a sentence is commuted, it is reduced or completely ended but it doesn't change the fact the person was convicted and it doesn't imply innocence or remove any civil disabilities that apply, the Department of justice says. A commutation of sentence may also include dropping any financial obligations imposed as part of a sentence, such as a fine or restitution. It has no effect on a person's immigration status and will not prevent removal or deportation from the U.S.
What is a pardon?
Pardons can also function as an "expression of the president's forgiveness," the DOJ notes. They are often granted "in recognition of the applicant's acceptance of responsibility for the crime and established good conduct for a significant period of time after conviction or completion of sentence." While a pardon does not signify innocence, it does remove civil disabilities – such as restrictions on the right to vote, hold state or local office, or sit on a jury – imposed because of the conviction for which pardon is sought, and "should lessen the stigma arising from the conviction," according to the DOJ. In some circumstances, a pardon will eliminate the legal basis for removal or deportation from the U.S., the DOJ notes.
What happened in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots?
After fiery speeches from Trump and others, the
rioters stormed the Capitol , attacking police and breaking windows and doors to get in where they roamed the halls, vandalized offices and threatened the lives of Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to overturn the election results, and members of Congress, many of whom fled or barricaded themselves in their offices. During the attack, more than 150 police officers were injured, many permanently.
Four people died in relation to the riot. A Capitol police officer
died of strokes the day after and four others have taken their own lives since then. Trump himself received his
second impeachment by the House for his role in the insurrection and
federal criminal charges were filed against him, although
they were dropped upon his successful re-election. In his final report about the case, released last week, former Special Counsel Jack Smith
detailed Trump's involvement before and during the insurrection and said the dropped charges did not prove the president-elect was innocent of the charges, as Trump has repeatedly claimed. No state has had more people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots than Florida, with about 140.
Who else from Florida did Trump pardon for Jan. 6?
As of Jan. 17, 2025, the
U.S. Department of Justice lists more than 140 people with Florida connections charged in the Jan. 6 riots. Other than the one listed above whose sentences were commuted, all the rest have been pardoned. That would seem to include
Enrique Tarrio of Miami, the former top leader of the Proud Boys who was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down in connection with the attack. Here are the rest.
