US court dismisses case against four Proud Boys over January 6 Capitol attack

WASHINGTON, United States — A federal court in Washington has dismissed the case against four members of the far-right Proud Boys group—Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Reel and Dominic Pezzola—charged over their roles in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Judge Timothy Kelly granted the Justice Department's motion under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 48 to drop the charges with prejudice, meaning the defendants cannot be prosecuted again on the same allegations. The case followed a 2024 appeals court ruling that overturned the convictions of the four defendants. The Justice Department subsequently moved to dismiss the case outright. The court's order states that the government's request was granted as required by the Constitution and federal rules, barring future prosecution on the same charges. The January 6 attack involved supporters of then-President Donald Trump attempting to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden's presidential election victory. Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 people connected to the attack on his first day of his second term, but the pardon did not extend to the four defendants. Enrique Tarrio, the group's former leader, had all charges against him dropped at the Justice Department's request in 2025. He had been sentenced to 22 years in prison by Judge Kelly, who described him as the "architect" of the conspiracy, though Tarrio was not in Washington on the day of the attack. Separately, the US Supreme Court sent a request by Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon to vacate his contempt conviction back to an appeals court for further review.