Judge Reluctantly Drops Jan. 6 Proud Boys Case at DOJ Demand

The federal case against the leadership of the Proud Boys is over. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly reluctantly granted a Justice Department motion on Friday to drop the seditious conspiracy convictions. The judge concluded that the separation of powers left him no choice but to yield to the prosecutors. He dismissed the case with prejudice, ensuring no future administration can revive the charges.

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According to the ruling, the judge made it clear that his compliance did not mean he agreed with the government. The decision ends a major legal chapter from the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. That day, a mob broke the lines of the police and forced Congress to flee. More than 100 officers suffered injuries in the violence.

During the six-month trial, prosecutors showed that the group assembled a fighting force. Their national chairman, Enrique Tarrio, led them. One member, Dominic Pezzola, smashed a window of the Senate wing with a stolen police shield to breach the building. They later celebrated the deeds they committed.

Based on government records, President Donald Trump pardoned the majority of the rioters upon his return to office. He pardoned Tarrio, who had received a sentence of 22 years. Trump did not pardon the co-conspirators, Ethan Nordean, Joe Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Pezzola. Instead, he commuted their sentences. The men continued their appeals until the Justice Department moved to vacate the convictions.

The Proud Boys celebrated the decision on social media. Tarrio declared the ruling a victory for the group. The Justice Department has also moved to erase the convictions of the Oath Keepers, another group involved in the breach. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is still considering that motion.

Judge Kelly noted that the prosecution began under Trump's first term, not under Joe Biden. He stated that the choice to abandon the case belonged solely to the executive branch. The judge remarked that the president's views on the January 6 prosecutions are well known, whether based on fact or fiction.