On his first day in office, President Trump issued sweeping pardons and commutations for nearly 1,600 January 6 rioters – despite the fact that the majority of Americans opposed clemency for violent offenders.
Trump tried to claim he would only pardon those who committed minor offenses. Instead, he freed convicted felons who assaulted police officers, plotted murder, and endangered children.
The consequences have been swift and predictable: at least 14 pardoned rioters have since been arrested or convicted of serious new crimes, including murder conspiracies, child abuse, deadly drunk driving, threats against elected officials, and violent assaults.
Here are 14 documented cases of pardoned January 6 rioters who have been arrested or convicted of serious crimes:
- Edward Kelley – Kelley conspired to murder FBI agents investigating his involvement in January 6. He was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to life in prison in 2025. Trump pardoned him for his actions on January 6 despite the life sentence for plotting to assassinate federal law enforcement.
- Andrew Quentin Taake – Following his pardon, Taake was arrested on an outstanding charge for solicitation of a minor from 2016. He had attacked police with a metal whip and bear spray on January 6. He avoided jail time on the child solicitation charge when the court applied his time served for the January 6 conviction.
- Kyle Travis Colton – Colton was convicted in 2025 of receiving child pornography in 2022-2023. Trump pardoned his January 6 offenses despite his conviction for crimes against children.
- Andrew Paul Johnson – Johnson was arrested in November 2025 on charges relating to child sexual abuse that occurred in 2024. The alleged abuse took place before his January 6 pardon, but he was not arrested until months after Trump freed him.
- David Paul Daniel – Daniel was indicted in 2024 for possession and production of child pornography. He remained in federal custody following his 2025 pardon for January 6 offenses.
- Shane Jason Woods – Woods was sentenced in 2025 to 17 years in prison for a 2022 DWI that killed another driver in a wrong-way crash. The deadly drunk driving incident occurred while he awaited trial for his involvement in the January 6 attack.
- Emily Hernandez – Hernandez was convicted in 2025 of killing Victoria Wilson, a 32-year-old mother of two, while driving under the influence in 2022 . She was sentenced to 10 years for the deadly incident that occurred before her January 6 pardon.
- Matthew Huttle – Huttle was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop after reaching for a gun and threatening to shoot himself. The incident occurred shortly after his pardon, with family members saying he feared returning to prison.
- Christopher Moynihan – Moynihan was arrested in October 2025 for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The threats against the elected official came after Trump pardoned him for January 6.
- Landon Kenneth Copeland – Copeland was arrested in October 2025 for threatening to shoot everyone at his electric company’s office over a billing dispute. He was pardoned for January 6 earlier that year.
- John Emanuel Banuelos – Banuelos was arrested on kidnapping and assault charges following his January 6 pardon.
- Zachary Jordan Alam – Alam was arrested in connection with a home invasion burglary and convicted of two felonies. He was pardoned despite breaking into the Speaker’s Lobby on January 6 and later committed additional crimes.
- Robert Keith Packer – Packer was charged in relation to a dog attack that left four people injured. He wore a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt during the January 6 attack and was arrested for the incident after his pardon.
- Brent John Holdridge – Holdridge was arrested for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars worth of copper wire in a grand theft case following his January 6 pardon.