A Proud Boys leader currently serving a 17 year sentence for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack is confident he'll be pardoned when Trump is back in office.
Joe Biggs, a prominent leader in the Proud Boys organization, was sentenced in August 2023 to 17 years in federal prison for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Biggs. 40, has expressed hope for a presidential pardon following Donald Trump's re-election, according to his attorney, Norman Pattis.
Fellow prisoners at the Talladega Federal Correctional Institution in Alabama have reportedly congratulated Biggs, "telling him he was going to be free," The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.
"Oh, I know he'll pardon us. I believe that with all my heart," Biggs said in a recent interview with Infowars. "We went there like he asked."
Pattis confirmed plans to file a formal pardon application with the Trump transition team as well as the Justice Department, though he admitted skepticism regarding the Justice Department, who pushed for an even harsher sentence for Biggs.
Pattis accused the Department of Justice of "overcharging" January 6 cases, describing the event as a "riot" rather than a coordinated conspiracy.
"It's not a crime to believe the commander in chief," Pattis said. "Donald Trump told them the election was stolen. They believed him."
"We are hopeful that Donald Trump will commute his sentence or pardon him," Pattis said, adding that a pardon would restore Biggs' military benefits. Biggs served in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning a Purple Heart and other military commendations.
"It's by no means certain that Trump will grant these pardons," Pattis clarified. "We're hopeful that he will. He certainly sounded like he will during the campaign."
"The thing is, it's meant to show mercy," Caroline Mala Corbin, a University of Miami la professor, told the News Journal. "The pardon power is meant to provide a way to show mercy or address a miscarriage of justice. It's not supposed to be used to forgive your political cronies."
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