WASHINGTON- A Proud Boy leader from Auburn received a commuted sentence Monday as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping pardons.
Ethan Nordean was convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection with the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2023, one of the longest sentences for the attack.
According to the White House, Nordean was one of 14 people whose sentences were commuted after being convicted of insurrection-related offenses.
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Below is the full list of commuted sentences, according to the White House:
- Stewart Rhodes
- Kelly Meggs
- Kenneth Harrelson
- Thomas Caldwell
- Jessica Watkins
- Roberto Minuta
- Edward Vallejo
- David Moerschel
- Joseph Hackett
- Ethan Nordeen
- Joseph Biggs
- Zachary Rehl
- Dominique Pezzola
- Jeremy Bertino
Defendants convicted of seditious conspiracy had their sentences commuted, while the rest of the more than 1,500 people charged were granted “total, complete and unconditional” pardons.
More than 1,200 people in the United States have been convicted of the Jan. 6 crimes over the past four years, including about 200 people who have pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement.
On Monday, Trump announced he was pardoning about 1,500 of his supporters accused in the attack. Trump had suggested in the weeks before returning to the White House that instead of blanket pardons, he would consider the Jan. 6 defendants on a case-by-case basis. Vice President JD Vance said just days ago that those responsible for the violence during the Capitol riots “obviously” should not be pardoned.
Trump also ordered the attorney general to seek dismissal of about 450 cases still pending before judges, stemming from the largest investigation in Justice Department history.
“I further direct the Attorney General to proceed to dismiss, with prejudice to the Government, all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct related to the events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” the White House wrote on its website. “The Bureau of Prisons will immediately implement all instructions from the Department of Justice regarding this directive.”
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U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on Trump’s pardons, which can be read below:
The individuals who stormed the capital and staged an insurrection, particularly those who committed acts of violence, should be held fully accountable. It is a sad day for America when a president who refused to relinquish power and incited insurrection returns to power years later only to grant violent criminals a presidential pardon or sentence commutation. What the president is doing is wrong: I will continue to tell the truth and fight for our democracy. I will never let President Trump speak about the history and reality of that dark day and the lessons we must learn from it.
Of the more than 1,500 people charged, approximately 250 people were convicted of crimes by a judge or jury after a trial, while more than 1,000 others pleaded guilty to misdemeanors. Only two people were acquitted of all charges brought against them by judges following bench trials. No jury has fully acquitted a Capitol riot defendant.
More than 1,000 rioters were convicted, with more than 700 spending at least some time behind bars. The others received a combination of probation, community service, house arrest or fines.
