More than 20 Coloradans who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection were among 1,500 people who received sweeping pardons from President Donald Trump in one of his first acts of his second term.
Trump signed an executive order Monday to commute the sentences of more than a dozen people and “grant a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.”
The order appears to apply to people convicted of low-level crimes, such as trespassing, as well as those found guilty of attacking police officers with batons, flag poles and other weapons.
The order calls for the immediate release of anyone in prison and dismisses “with prejudice to the government of all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct” related to the Jan. 6 riots, meaning their case is permanently dismissed and the claim cannot be refiled.
“These are the hostages,” Trump said while signing the paperwork in the Oval Office.
There are 21 Coloradans who have been convicted or were awaiting trial for crimes connected to the Jan. 6 attacks.
Prior to Trump’s inauguration, federal investigators continued their investigation and made arrests in Colorado as recently as this month on the four-year anniversary of the attacks. A Boulder man and his father were arrested on felony charges for assaulting and resisting police as they pushed through the barricades in front of the Capitol.
All pending cases were officially dropped. That includes Todd Braden Casey, of Denver, whose trial was scheduled to start Thursday, federal court records show.
Casey was arrested in September 2023 and was facing charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, which are felonies, along with several misdemeanors.
Other Coloradans who were awaiting trial included Matthew James Melsen, of Wheat Ridge. Melsen was arrested Feb. 28, 2024, and faces felony charges including civil disorder and assaulting a police officer. Melsen had a status conference set for Friday.
Justin Schulze of Colorado Springs was scheduled to go to court for a bench trial Feb. 14. He faced a felony and several misdemeanor charges related to his involvement in the riot.
Authorities say he and Eric Zeis of Monument, who faces the same charges, pushed police officers to enter the Capitol and were inside the building for about 40 minutes. He was also supposed to have a Feb. 14 bench trial.
A pardon is a complete forgiveness of a crime and once granted, a person’s rights, which were removed from the conviction, are restored. With a commutation, a person’s sentence is reduced but the conviction remains on their record.
During his inaugural address Monday morning, Trump said he will end what he called the weaponization of the Justice Department.
“The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and government will end,” he said.
Trump had repeatedly said he planned to swiftly pardon people who were convicted for their role in the riots, as hundreds stormed past police guarding the U.S. Capitol to interrupt a joint session of Congress trying to certify the 2020 presidential electoral votes.
In a December interview with Time magazine, Trump said, “I’ll be looking at J6 early on, maybe the first nine minutes.”
More than 1,500 people have been charged in connection with the breach of the Capitol, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. More than 600 people were charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.