Public January 6 profile · ready to claim
Aaron Gilbert James
January 6 defendant; case dismissed with prejudice
Aaron Gilbert James is a Lindström, Minnesota man who drove to Washington with his family and came home to two FBI SWAT raids. Here are the receipts. Aaron James, then 35, was one of four members of the Westbury-James family of Lindström, Minnesota charged over January 6. His brother Isaac Westbury, along with Jonah Westbury and Robert Westbury, were charged alongside him. The indictments were unsealed October 4, 2021. (FACT: MPR News, Star Tribune) The family home in Lindström was raided by an FBI SWAT team. It was the bureau's second raid on that address. Blaze Media documented the lasting toll both raids took on the family. (FACT: Blaze Media) They did not face it alone. Supporters crowdfunded more than $60,000 toward the family's legal costs. (FACT: Blaze Media) THEIR ACCOUNT: Aaron James has said he and his brother Isaac were exposed to the most serious charges because of what they did for Rosanne Boyland, the Trump supporter who died that day. James told Alpha News they held up a shield to block her from being sprayed with mace while others performed CPR on her. That is his account, given in his own words to a reporter. It was never tested at trial. (THEIR ACCOUNT: Alpha News) Charges are charges. Aaron Gilbert James pleaded not guilty. He was never convicted and never sentenced. On January 20, 2025, the presidential clemency proclamation reached the January 6 cases. The prosecution against James was dismissed with prejudice on January 21, 2025. The Office of the Pardon Attorney lists him as an issued-certificate recipient. (FACT: DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney FOIA release) "Our family is so grateful" is how the Minnesota families described that day. (FACT: Alpha News) CASE RECORD Case number: 1:21-cr-605 Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Arrested: October 4, 2021 Disposition: Pleaded not guilty. No conviction, no sentence. Pending prosecution dismissed with prejudice January 21, 2025 following the January 20, 2025 clemency proclamation. DOJ docket page: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/defendants/james-aaron This profile is unclaimed. If this is you — or your family — claiming it is free, forever.
The case file
On the record
- Case number
- 1:21-cr-605
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Judge
- Rudolph Contreras
- Disposition
- Pleaded not guilty; no conviction or sentence; pending prosecution dismissed with prejudice January 21, 2025 following the January 20, 2025 clemency proclamation; listed by the Office of the Pardon Attorney as an issued certificate recipient.
- Arrested
- October 4, 2021
Charges
- Civil disorder — government allegation, dismissed
- Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon — government allegation, dismissed
- Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon — government allegation, dismissed
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon — government allegation, dismissed
- Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon — government allegation, dismissed
- Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building — government allegation, dismissed
- Act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings — government allegation, dismissed
- Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building — government allegation, dismissed
Sentence
No conviction or sentence. Aaron James pleaded not guilty, and the pending prosecution was dismissed with prejudice on January 21, 2025. The Office of the Pardon Attorney also lists Aaron Gilbert James as a pardon-certificate recipient.
Press & news
- https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/10/04/unsealed-indictments-charge-three-lindstrom-men-with-jan-6-crimes →
- https://alphanews.org/our-family-is-so-grateful-minnesota-j6-defendants-react-to-trump-pardon/ →
- https://app.midpage.ai/case/united-states-v-westbury-1000397913769 →
- https://www.startribune.com/three-lindstrom-men-face-federal-charges-related-to-jan-6-u-s-capitol-riot/600103577 →
- https://www.theblaze.com/news/2-jan-6-swat-raids-years-of-prosecution-leave-lingering-trauma-for-one-minnesota-family →
- https://patch.com/minnesota/minneapolis/14-jan-6-defendants-mn-pardoned-trump-s-first-official-act →
- https://americangulag.org/aaron-james/ →
- https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/president-trump-pardons-around-1500-involved-in-jan-6-attacks-including-some-minnesotans/ →
- https://www.justice.gov/pardon/freedom-information-act-foia-release-pardon-certificate-recipients →
- https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/minnesotan-jan-6-riot-range-of-consequences-pardons-loom/89-6aaf3977-403c-4bb5-a33c-1bf1eeb84721 →
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Connection to United States v. Nichols
Aaron Gilbert James appears in the record of United States v. Nichols through 6 shared documents on file below. The full case — timeline, people, documents — is public and free.
Walk the whole case →Evidence on file
6 documents on file
Attorney1 document
Defense counsel correspondence (Joseph McBride, Jonathan Gross).
motion · Jul 22, 2022
Aaron James’s Opposition to Release Revocation — ECF No. 63
The defense’s July 22, 2022 response disputing the government’s request to revoke Aaron James’s pretrial release. The filing’s factual assertions are defense advocacy and are labeled accordingly.
Court1 document
Court orders, rulings, transcripts, and docket entries.
ruling · May 7, 2024
United States v. Westbury — May 7, 2024 Charging-Procedure Ruling
Public transcription and summary of Judge Rudolph Contreras’s ruling denying Aaron James and Isaac Westbury’s motion alleging vindictive prosecution. The ruling addressed charging procedure, not guilt.
Govt response2 documents
Responses from DC DOC, the U.S. Marshals, and federal agencies.
other · Jan 20, 2025
Office of the Pardon Attorney Record Listing Aaron Gilbert James
Official DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney recipient page listing JAMES, AARON GILBERT among people issued a certificate under the January 20, 2025 January 6 clemency proclamation.
motion · Jul 15, 2022
United States’ Motion to Revoke Aaron James’s Release Order — ECF No. 62
The government’s July 15, 2022 motion requesting revocation of Aaron James’s pretrial release. Its factual assertions and characterizations are government allegations and advocacy, not independent archive findings.
News2 documents
Press coverage.
article · Apr 14, 2025
Aaron James and Westbury Family Post-Dismissal Interview
April 14, 2025 feature containing attributed firsthand statements from Aaron James, Isaac, Jonah and Robert Westbury, along with source-labeled photographs and discussion of the prosecution’s impact.
article · Jan 21, 2025
Westbury–James Family Cases Reported Dismissed With Prejudice
Local reporting that DOJ moved to dismiss the pending Westbury–James family prosecutions with prejudice after the January 20, 2025 proclamation, together with an attributed family statement.