Tag: January 6 Defendants

Marjorie Taylor Greene Renews Call for January 6 Pardons as DOJ Opposes Wave of Legal Filings Citing Trump Victory

Tom Pappert
Marjorie Taylor Greene

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tuesday renewed her call for President-elect Donald Trump to pardon those prosecuted under the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) for participating in their civil unrest on January 6, 2021, in remarks delivered as attorneys representing January 6 defendants are reportedly filing to have trials moved or frozen due to Trump’s prior promises of pardons.

Greene confirmed in Tuesday remarks to CNN, which her team recorded and posted to the social media platform X, Greene confirmed she’s previously spoken with Trump about the release of January 6 defendants, and noted his campaign trail promises to pardon them.

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Reporter Steve Baker Enters Guilty Plea in January 6 Case to ‘Avoid Shaming Exercise of a Trial’

Tom Pappert
Journalist Steve Baker

Reporter and January 6 defendant Steve Baker entered an Alford plea on Tuesday, acknowledging the state has enough evidence to convict him without admitting guilt, in what he later called a move to avoid the “shaming exercise of a trial.”

Then working as an independent journalist, Baker was inside restricted parts of the U.S. Capitol complex on January 6, 2021. Three years after the protest, he was charged by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice for attempting to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory with his presence.

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Biden DOJ Dropped Nearly Half of Pending Obstruction Charges for January 6 Defendants After Supreme Court Ruling

Daily Caller News Foundation
January Six

The Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped nearly half of pending obstruction charges against Jan. 6 defendants since the Supreme Court issued a major ruling in June, according to recent data.

The Supreme Court ruled in June that in charging Jan. 6 defendants, the DOJ had interpreted too broadly a statute that carries up to 20 years in prison for anyone who corruptly “obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding.” Since the Fischer v. United States ruling, around 60 of 126 defendants had the pending obstruction charges dropped, DOJ data from Sept. 6 shows.

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Biden DOJ Convicts ‘J6 Praying Grandma’ Rebecca Lavrenz, 71, Who Faces Year in Prison

Tom Pappert
Rebecca Lavrenz

The Biden Department of Justice successfully convicted 71-year-old January 6 defendant Rebecca Lavrenz on Thursday. Known as the “J6 Praying Grandma,” the great grandmother now faces up to a year in prison and a serious fine.

Lavrenz, who owns and operates a Colorado bed and breakfast, was convicted by a Washington, D.C. jury after almost 26 hours of deliberation, The Gazette reported.

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Bureau of Prisons Denies Transfer of Unjustly Imprisoned J6 Defendant Stewart Parks to Minimum Security Camp

Tom Pappert
Stewart Parks Memphis

Unjustly convicted and imprisoned January 6 defendant Stewart Parks told The Tennessee Star on Monday that his request to transfer to the minimum security satellite camp at FCI Memphis was denied despite intervention by Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) and his congressional colleagues.

Parks called Michael Patrick Leahy, the editor-in-chief of The Star, and were able to share a brief conversation Thursday morning before the phone system at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis automatically disconnected the call after just five minutes.

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Peter Navarro to Serve Sentence at Wing of Minimum Security Prison Camp for Inmates over 60

Tom Pappert
Peter Navarro

Federal prison consultant Sam Mangel confirmed to The Tennessee Star on Tuesday that former Trump administration trade adviser Peter Navarro will serve just 90 days of his four-month sentence, and will complete the prison term at part of the minimum security satellite camp of the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Miami reserved for older inmates.

In a Tuesday phone conversation, Mangel contradicted previous reporting by The New York Times that claimed Mangel “said he was working to get Mr. Navarro into a unit devised for inmates over age 60 in a minimum-security satellite camp in the prison.”

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How the Bureau of Prisons Incorrectly Classified Unjustly Imprisoned J6 Defendant Stewart Parks

Tom Pappert
Stewart Parks

An investigation into the federal prison designation process for convicted inmates offered few answers as to how the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) determined unjustly imprisoned January 6 defendant Stewart Parks should spend his eight-month sentence in FCI Memphis, a medium security facility with a minimum security satellite camp.

The BOP on Wednesday refused to comply with a request by Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) for FCI Memphis Warden F.J. Bowers to move Parks to the minimum security camp, with BOP Legislative Affairs Chief David Mapp asserting Parks is “housed at an appropriate facility for his security, programming, and care needs” which also complies with the 2018 First Step Act.

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Bureau of Prisons Tells Rep. Andy Ogles It Refuses to Transfer Unjustly Imprisoned J6 Defendant Stewart Parks to Minimum Security Satellite Camp

Tom Pappert
Stewart Parks FBI

A Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) official on Wednesday formally refused the written request by Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) to move unjustly imprisoned January 6 defendant Stewart Parks to the minimum security satellite camp located at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis.

Despite Parks being a nonviolent, first-time offender convicted after he merely entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6, the letter by BOP Legislative Affairs Chief David Mapp claims the medium security prison is an “appropriate facility” for the Tennessee entrepreneur and former congressional candidate.

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Memphis Prison Refuses Reply to Rep. Ogles over Unjustly Imprisoned J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Until Congressman Uses ‘Proper Channels’

Tom Pappert
Andy Ogles

An executive assistant at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis told The Tennessee Star on Sunday that Warden F.J. Bowers will not respond to a letter from Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) requesting action for a J6 defendant until the congressman follows the “proper channels” for communication.

Ogles sent a letter to the facility on February 13 after The Star reported the conditions inside FCI Memphis as relayed by Stewart Parks, a former Tennessee candidate for U.S. House and unjustly convicted January 6 defendant who began serving an eight-month sentence at FCI Memphis in February.

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Wife of Tennessee J6 Prisoner Ronald McAbee Declares Justice System ‘Failed’ After Nearly Six-Year Sentence

Tom Pappert
Ronald McAbee

January 6 defendant Ronald McAbee was sentenced on Thursday to 70 months in federal prison for the actions prosecutors said he took on January 6.

Ronald McAbee previously argued in court that video showed him attempting to help a member of Capitol police, with the Tennessee man telling a fallen officer that he was helping and wanted to separate him from the crowd. He was convicted in October 2023. 

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Memphis Prison Warden Ignores Request from Rep. Ogles to Move Unjustly Imprisoned J6 Defendant to Minimum Security Camp

Tom Pappert

Warden F.J. Bowers of the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis ignored the request made by Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) last week to move unjustly imprisoned J6 defendant Stewart Parks to the prison’s minimum security satellite camp, where Parks was originally told he would spend his eight month sentence.

Citing reporting by The Tennessee Star exposing the conditions inside FCI Memphis as relayed by Parks, Ogles demanded in a February 12 letter to Bowers for Parks to be moved from the primary prison facility to its minimum security satellite campus. Ogles gave Bowers until February 17 to respond, and Bowers did not return a press inquiry from The Star sent prior to Ogles’ deadline.

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Rep. Andy Ogles Urges Move of Unjustly Convicted J6 Defendant Stewart Parks to Minimum Security Camp of FCI Memphis, Cites Tennessee Star Report

Tom Pappert
Rep. Andy Ogles / Stewart Parks

U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) sent a letter to the Warden F.J. Bowers of the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis on Tuesday which urged him to immediately transfer unjustly convicted J6 defendant Stewart Parks to the facility’s minimum security camp.

Ogles sent his letter following the Sunday report from The Tennessee Star that revealed Parks is not in the minimum security camp where he was originally expected to serve his sentence, and is instead in a part of the federal prison that houses gang members, murderers and child molesters.

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EXCLUSIVE: Imprisoned J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Tells The Tennessee Star, ‘There Are Murderers and Child Molesters Here. No J6 Defendant Should Be in Such a Situation’

Tom Pappert

Unjustly convicted J6 defendant Stewart Parks spoke with Tennessee Star CEO Michael Patrick Leahy in a 15-minute phone call placed on Friday afternoon from the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis, Tennessee. Parks self-reported to begin serving an eight-month sentence on Tuesday.

The Star and Leahy have filed a Freedom of Information Act request with FCI Memphis to obtain the 15-minute audio recording of that call. Inmates incarcerated at FCI are allowed to make 500 minutes of out bound phone calls per month, but each call is recorded and is limited to 15 minutes in length.

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Judge Amit Mehta Rejects Peter Navarro’s Bid to Avoid Prison in J6 Case Just Days After Refusing Same Request by Unjustly Convicted Stewart Parks

Tom Pappert
Peter Navarro Sentencing

D.C. District Judge Amit P. Mehta on Thursday declined the request by former Trump administration adviser Peter Navarro to avoid prison while he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction that came as a result of his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the January 6 Committee in the U.S. House.

Mehta ruled on Thursday that Navarro’s claim his conviction could be reversed on appeal was insufficient to stay his sentence, according to Breitbart News, which reported the Obama-appointee also flatly rejected the legal underpinnings of Navarro’s case.

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Unjustly Convicted J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Now Inside FCI Memphis Prison, Which Boasts Decade-Long Smuggling Problem

Tom Pappert

January 6 defendant Stewart Parks surrendered at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Memphis on Tuesday to begin an eight month sentence for his peaceful actions on January 6.

FCI Memphis, where Parks was told he would be in the minimum security camp, regularly generates headlines due to smuggling of controlled substances and weapons into the prison.

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J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Imprisoned After Judge Amit Mehta Rejected Request for Freedom Pending Appeal; Mehta Claimed Parks Lied in Court but Cited No Evidence to That Effect

Tom Pappert
Stewart Parks FBI

In an order refusing his request to remain free while appealing his conviction, D.C. Circuit Court Judge Amit P. Mehta accused Stewart Parks, a Tennessee entrepreneur and former congressional candidate who was convicted in a January 6 trial, of lying in court and spreading “falsehoods” about the events of that day.

Parks (pictured above in the moments prior to his incarceration) complied with Mehta’s order and self-reported for incarceration at the Federal Correctional Institution, Memphis, Tennessee, on Tuesday, February 6 at 2:00 pm Central Time and is currently serving the eight-month prison term to which Judge Mehta sentenced him.

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24 Hours Before Reporting to Prison Unjustly Convicted J6 Defendant Stewart Parks Says ‘Judicial Elites in DC Want to Stomp Me Down’

Kaitlin Housler

Stewart Parks, a local entrepreneur and former candidate to represent Tennessee’s 5th congressional district, joined Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss his last-minute plans and overall thoughts before reporting to the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis on Tuesday to serve an 8-month sentence for being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

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Commentary: Is SCOTUS Poised to Overturn Key J6 Felony Count?

Julie Kelly

An order published by the Supreme Court on December 13 represented a moment hundreds of January 6 defendants and their loved ones had been waiting for: the highest court granted a writ of certiorari petition in the case of Fischer v. USA.

In a nutshell, after more than two years of litigation before federal judges in Washington, SCOTUS will review the Department of Justice’s use of 1512(c)(2), obstruction of an official proceeding, in January 6 cases. A “splintered” 2-1 appellate court ruling issued in April just barely endorsed the DOJ’s unprecedented interpretation of the statute, passed in 2002 as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the aftermath of the Enron/Arthur Anderson accounting scandal.

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