President Trump has long maintained that the charges brought forward by former President Biden's DOJ were disproportionate, the consequence of witch hunts and lawfare.
The motions were filed on Tuesday, just days before an appeals court was set to hear some of the defendants' requests to reverse their seditious conspiracy convictions. President Donald Trump commuted these individuals' lengthy prison sentences last year, but they did not obtain pardons.
The first court filing applies to the following individuals, who are members of the right-wing group, the Proud Boys: Ethan Nordean, 36, of Washington; Joseph Biggs, 42, of Florida; Zachary Rehl, 38, of Pennsylvania; and Dominic Pezzola, 49, of New York. Each of them was convicted in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on seditious conspiracy charges and several other felonies, including obstruction of an official proceeding, according to court documents.
Nordean was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Biggs was sentenced to 17 years in prison, Rehl was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Pezzola was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Proud Boys are known for street fighting members of Antifa, a designated terrorist organization.
"The United States respectfully requests that the Court vacate the defendants' convictions and remand to the district court so that the government may move to dismiss the indictment with prejudice under Rule 48(a)," the motion states.
The DOJ's second motion to vacate convictions applies to four members of the right-wing militia, The Oathkeepers. This includes founder and leader Stewart Rhodes, 60, of Texas; Kelly Meggs, 56, of Florida; Kenneth Harrelson, 45, of Florida; and Jessica Watkins, 43, of Ohio. All of them were found guilty 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.
Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, Meggs was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, Harrelson was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison, and Watkins was sentenced to 8.5 years in federal prison. The DOJ has also requested that their convictions be dismissed with prejudice, meaning charges cannot be refiled.
On his first day back in the White House for his second term, President Trump pardoned and commuted the sentences of over 1,500 people prosecuted and/or convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol. President Trump has long maintained that the charges brought forward by former President Biden's DOJ were disproportionate, the consequence of witch hunts and lawfare.
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