Judge vacates convictions of 4 Proud Boys in Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection
A federal judge on Friday agreed to dismiss the convictions of four members of the far-right Proud Boys group for their actions in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly signed off on the Justice Department's move to dismiss the convictions against Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola, but not before saying that
President Trump's views about Jan. 6 are based on "fiction," while also citing a lack of other levers he could pull to stop the move.
"There is little mystery about why the Government is moving to dismiss this case, or whether dismissal is in fact what the Executive seeks," Kelly wrote in his memorandum. "President Trump's views about the prosecution of those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6—whether those views are based on fact or fiction—are well known, as is his intention to extend clemency to them through the Executive Order."
In 2023 , Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were convicted of seditious conspiracy and all sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Pezzola became one of the more recognizable faces of the attempted insurrection after video showed him smashing a Capitol window with a riot shield. He was convicted of assaulting or resisting officers, robbery involving government property, obstruction and other charges.