The Justice Division is increasing the ancient clemency that used to be prolonged to U.S. Capitol insurrectionists and defendants through transferring to disregard fees unrelated to the assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, if the separate indictments stemmed from Jan. 6-related investigations.
In a courtroom submitting in Ocala, Florida, a newly appointed best federal prosecutor has advisable a pass judgement on disregard the rest federal prison depend in opposition to Daniel Ball, who used to be pardoned closing month for his position within the Capitol assault. Ball used to be nonetheless going through a guns fee for unlawful ownership of a gun and ammunition seized from his house in 2023.
Even though President Trump’s pardon cleared Ball of federal fees he confronted for his position within the revolt, Ball used to be re-arrested days after the pardon as a result of he nonetheless confronted the criminal firearm fee. Prosecutors had up to now argued that Ball used to be unlawfully in ownership of the gun as a result of he had a criminal historical past of home violence and strangulation.
His supporters argued the gun case will have to be dropped for the reason that firearm used to be handiest came upon as a part of the FBI’s probe into Ball’s Jan. 6 case. Sara Sweeney, who used to be sworn in Tuesday as the brand new performing U.S. lawyer for the Heart District of Florida, has requested a pass judgement on to disregard Ball’s gun case.
In her submitting, Sweeney mentioned, “[T]he United States hereby strikes to disregard the indictment pending in opposition to the defendant, Daniel Charles Ball, with prejudice. The USA cites to the Govt Order dated January 20, 2025 , Granting Pardons and Commutation of Sentences for Sure Offenses On the subject of the Occasions at or Close to america Capitol on January 6, 2021, as the cause of this dismissal.”
Sweeney’s place of business filed the movement underneath 48 hours after she took over because the lead federal prosecutor in Central Florida.
Ball had pleaded no longer responsible to federal fees involving the gun and his position within the Capitol siege. Federal prosecutors accused Ball of throwing an explosive tool within the path of police right through the Jan. 6 assault. The Justice Division alleged, “Ball labored with different rioters to violently push in opposition to totally uniformed law enforcement officials making an attempt to stay folks out of the Capitol Construction. When that strive used to be unsuccessful, Ball moved again into the gang and threw an explosive tool into the entranceway.”
In courtroom filings, prosecutors additionally made allegations of a separate gun ownership crime, writing, “Throughout a seek of Ball’s house, brokers came upon ammunition for a .223 rifle and ammunition for a .762 rifle in addition to a loaded—although unchambered—.22 rifle. Throughout the similar seek, brokers discovered a couple of commercially produced “m-style” explosive units, the similar genre of tool Ball would later inform brokers he threw at officials on January 6.”
On Feb. 7, Ball’s protection lawyer argued for the dismissal of the gun case, arguing, “President Trump issued a flurry of first day government movements together with a pardon to all January sixth defendants who were convicted and ordering their quick unencumber. As well as, the chief order directed the Division of Justice to disregard with prejudice all linked instances pending January sixth.” Ball’s legal professional italicized and used a daring font to emphasise the word “all linked instances.”
Trump’s pardon of the greater than 1,500 defendants of the U.S. Capitol siege prompted the discharge of loads of rioters from jail, together with dozens accused of assaulting police.
