Trump’s pardons for January 6 participants could save dozens of local residents

Christian Alfonso, a South Jersey native, already pleaded guilty to participating in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, admitting last year that he followed a mob into the building and then took photographs in the office of the then speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

Meanwhile, another local Jan. 6 defendant, Robert Ciottoni of Willow Grove, was accused last year of walking the ornate hallways amid the riots that day, and his trial is scheduled to begin later this month.

But in recent weeks, attorneys for both men have asked federal judges to delay upcoming court proceedings due to the impending inauguration of President-elect Donald Trumpwho has promised to pardon dozens of those accused of January 6 as soon as he is sworn in for his next term.

“Continuing this trial under the shadow of these political realities would not only risk rendering the process moot, but would also waste the limited resources of this (c)court and the Department of Justice,” Ciottoni’s attorney said. , Assistant Federal Defender Jonathan McDonald. , he wrote in court documents.

Alfonso’s attorney, David Castellani, said moving forward with his sentencing on Jan. 10, less than two weeks before Trump is sworn in again, would be “simply unnecessary.”

“Mr. Alfonso…expects to be relieved of the criminal proceedings he currently faces when the new administration takes office,” Castellani wrote.

The judges denied both requests. But the events underscore the suddenly unsettled reality surrounding the Jan. 6 indictments, exactly four years after the attack.

The Justice Department, in what it has called its largest investigation to date, has charged more than 1,500 people with ransacking the building and participating in the violent melee that sought to block the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Since then, more than 1,000 people have been convicted of crimes ranging from burglary to seditious conspiracy, the department said.

About 10% of the accused having been from Pennsylvania or New Jerseyincluding Zach Rehla Philadelphian and one of the leaders of the far-right Proud Boys, a group that prosecutors say helped incite the assault.

But both during the campaign and as president-elect, Trump repeatedly called the Justice Department investigation politically motivated and corrupt, and described some of the accused as “patriots” and “hostages.”

Beyond seeking delays in their cases to await Trump’s return to power, at least some defendants They have asked the courts for permission to attend his inauguration. And an Indiana man awaiting sentencing. fled to Canada seek political asylum until Trump returns to the White House.

Trump’s transition team declined to provide details on who he might pardon or whether he would take different actions depending on the charges in question.

“President Trump will forgive Americans who were denied due process and unfairly prosecuted by the armed Department of Justice,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, said in an email to The Inquirer.

Here are some of the local residents who could benefit from Trump’s pardon, depending on which direction he decides to take.

Zach Rehl

The former president of the Philadelphia Proud Boys chapter was one of the most prominent figures convicted by federal prosecutors in Washington.

The Port Richmond native and three other Proud Boys leaders were found guilty in 2023 on charges including seditious conspiracy for riling up the mob that stormed the Capitol. Rehl was then ordered serve 15 years in federal prison, one of the longest sentences handed down to any defendant on January 6.

At his sentencing hearing, Rehl called Jan. 6 a “despicable day” and said he was “done with politics” and “done selling lies to other people who don’t care about me.” Even so, he has appealed his conviction; That effort is still pending.

At least one of Rehl’s co-defendants has publicly indicated who intends to seek a pardon from Trump. An attorney for Rehl, 39, did not respond last week to requests for comment on whether he plans to do the same.

Julian Khater

Khater, a native of Somerset, New Jersey, who later ran a smoothie shop in State College, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in 2023 to six years in prison after pleading guilty. to deploy pepper spray against police officers who were trying to protect the Capitol.

One of the officers Khater sprayed was Officer Brian Sicknick, who collapsed at the scene and died the next day. Sicknick was later found to have died of natural causes, but the medical examiner said his condition had likely been worsened by the chaotic scene he encountered while confronting the mob.

Khater was not charged with causing Sicknick’s death, nor was his co-defendant, George Tanios, a childhood friend who lived in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Still, in the Khater ruling Upon hearing him, Sicknick’s mother said he “attacked my son like he was an animal.”

Khater remains incarcerated at a low-security facility in Connecticut. His attorneys did not respond to requests for comment last week on whether he has sought or will seek a pardon.

Convicted of minor crimes

Not all of those convicted were accused of crimes of violence.

West Chester native Gary WickershamThe 84-year-old spent about 20 minutes inside the Capitol shortly after other protesters initially stormed the building. He confronted law enforcement officers while inside, prosecutors said, but he did not possess a gun and left alone.

Wickersham, one of the oldest people arrested for participating in the riot, pleaded guilty in 2021 to a single misdemeanor and was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest and three years of probation.

Dawn Bancroft of Doylestown was also convicted of a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully demonstrating on Capitol grounds. She admitted to filming a video during the attack in which he said he was looking for Pelosi (D., California) to “shoot him in the damn brain.”

Bancroft later said it was a “stupid, juvenile comment.” She was sentenced to 60 days in jail followed by three years of probation. Bucks County Republicans Too voted in 2022 to overthrow her from her position as an elected member of the committee.

And Gary Edwards of Churchville, Bucks County, was sentenced to one year of probation. after pleading guilty in 2021 to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing at the Capitol for spending 20 minutes inside the building, including entering a U.S. senator’s office. Edwards was the first Philadelphia-area defendant to be convicted of participating in the riot.

Trump’s pardons would erase those convictions from their records.

Attempts to contact Wickersham, Bancroft and Edwards to ask if they would apply for pardons were unsuccessful.

Dozens of pending local cases

Meanwhile, dozens more local residents have pending cases, meaning a Trump pardon would end their prosecution before it is concluded.

Alfonso, the South Jersey native who took photos in Pelosi’s office, is among them.

His attempt to reschedule his Jan. 10 sentencing hearing was rejected last month by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. The judge wrote in an order that he was “not convinced that requesting a pardon from the newly elected president – ​​no matter how likely the defendant believes his request will be granted – is a sufficient basis for (delaying) his sentencing hearing.”

Alfonso, who pleaded guilty in September to disorderly conduct and parading or picketing at the Capitol, faces a maximum prison sentence of 12 months, according to court documents.

Ciottoni, the Willow Grove man whose trial will begin later this month, was also rejected in his attempt to postpone his trial indefinitely.

Still, Ciottoni achieved a possible victory. Because he agreed to have his case heard by a judge, rather than a jury, his first trial date was pushed back one day to Jan. 23, court records show.

Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated on January 20, and he has promised to start issuing pardons on “day one,” meaning Ciottoni’s relief could come the same week his trial begins.

Other local defendants awaiting sentencing include Isaiah Giddings, a member of the Philadelphia Proud Boys chapter who admitted to storming the Capitol along with Rehl and other convicted Proud Boys. Giddings pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of disorderly conduct on restricted grounds and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27.

Other trials involving local defendants are currently scheduled throughout the spring and into July, court records show. Trump’s pardons could erase those cases from the record, preventing any evidence from being presented to a jury and anticipating future convictions starting on January 6.