Department of Justice Drops Remaining Jan. 6 Charges Against Dominic Pezzola

The Department of Justice dropped the remaining charges against Dominic Pezzola, a Proud Boys member convicted in 2023 of felonies tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Washington Examiner reported that U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted the dismissal with prejudice last Friday, ending the case against Pezzola and three co-defendants.

Kelly's ruling covered Pezzola, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl. Enrique Tarrio, their co-defendant, received a full pardon from President Trump on January 20, 2025. The other four had their prison sentences commuted under an executive order that extended clemency to nearly all January 6 defendants.

Pezzola was acquitted of seditious conspiracy in 2023 but convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers, robbing government property by taking a Capitol Police riot shield, and destroying government property. He smashed a Senate-wing window with the stolen shield, creating the first entry point for hundreds of rioters.

Jurors deadlocked on additional charges, including a separate conspiracy count that prosecutors continued to pursue until the dismissal.

During his trial, Pezzola testified that he had been “caught up in the craziness” on January 6. His attorney, Roger Roots, stated that “Mr. Pezzola took full responsibility for the broken window, which should have been a misdemeanor charge.

Kelly wrote that there was “little mystery” behind the administration’s decision to abandon the remaining January 6 cases. He noted that President Trump’s views on the prosecutions and his intention to grant clemency were well known.