Insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump breach the Capitol in Washington on January 6.
AP Photo/John Minchillo
- At least six accused Capitol rioters who are under home confinement will be allowed to travel for Christmas.
- The leniency comes nearly one year after a mob of Trump supporters laid siege to the Capitol
- At least two men charged with attacking police officers had their requests for travel approved.
Christmas came early for at least six Capitol riot defendants currently under home confinement.
Several US judges overseeing the slate of pending Capitol attack cases granted half a dozen accused rioters the opportunity to leave their homes and spend time with their loved ones for the holidays, according to a Bloomberg report.
The temporary leniency comes nearly one year after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election, which saw President Joe Biden beat former president Donald Trump by more than 7 million votes.
Of the six men granted a festive reprieve from home detention, two are charged with attacking police officers during the insurrection and two have alleged ties to an extremist militia group.
Thomas Caldwell, a Virginia man accused by prosecutors of holding a leadership role in the Oath Keepers, an anti-government group, was arrested in February and released to home confinement in March. Prosecutors have charged Caldwell in connection with one of the largest conspiracy cases stemming from the Capitol riot and he has been restricted to electronic monitoring in his Virginia home for the past seven months. On Monday, Us District Judge Amit P. Mehta granted Caldwell’s request to leave his home on Christmas day to attend a holiday party at his neighbor’s house with his wife, according to court documents.
Donovan Crowl, who prosecutors say stormed the Capitol with other members of the Oath Keepers, has been under house arrest since he was released from jail in March, following his January arrest. The former Marine was already granted a holiday reprieve from his confinement over Thanksgiving, and Judge Mehta also approved Crowl’s most recent December request, according to Bloomberg.
Christopher Grider has been under GPS-ankle monitoring since he was released from jail after his January arrest. The Texas wine-maker is accused of helping to break a window outside the House chamber. In a conditions request made last week, Grider asked for permission to leave his Texas home to visit family in both Houston and Dallas for the holidays, as well as an extension of his 11:59 p.m. curfew for work purposes. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted all the requests, court documents show.
Adam Johnson, a Florida man captured on camera grinning while carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern through the Capitol, pleaded guilty to one charge of entering or remaining in a restricted building in November. While he awaits sentencing, Johnson remains under home confinement, but US District Judge Reggie B. Walton granted Johnson’s request to travel to Miami to spend Christmas Eve with his father, Bloomberg reported.
Federico Klein, a former Trump State Department-appointee who is accused of assaulting police with a riot shield during the siege, was released to home confinement in April. Prosecutors asked Judge Trevor McFadden to alter the conditions of Klein’s release to home incarceration in June, accusing the defendant of missing curfew, but the judge declined. McFadden on Tuesday granted Klein’s request to travel to visit his brother for the holidays, according to Bloomberg.
George Pierre Tanios, of West Virginia, was charged in March with conspiring to injure Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who died the day after the insurrection. Last month, a federal judge eased Tanios’ pre-trial release provisions, ending his home confinement and placing him on a curfew instead, according to court documents. The defendant filed an unopposed motion earlier this month to travel to New Jersey for Christmas.
Nearly 730 people have been charged in connection to the Capitol riot so far, and more than 150 people have pleaded guilty.
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