Public January 6 profile · ready to claim
Ethan Nordean
January 6 case-file subject
Verified profile photographEthan Nordean’s January 6 profile documents his February 2021 arrest, May 2023 jury verdict, September 2023 sentence, January 2025 commutation to time served, May 2026 appellate vacatur, July 2026 dismissal with prejudice, and a separate ongoing civil action. ## Verified procedural record Ethan Nordean was prosecuted in *United States v. Nordean et al.*, D.D.C. No. `1:21-cr-00175-TJK`, before U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly. This profile separates complaint-stage allegations, indictment charges, jury findings, sentencing, executive clemency, appellate action, dismissal, and unresolved civil claims. ## Arrest and complaint-stage allegations The Justice Department reported that Nordean was arrested on February 3, 2021, and initially charged by criminal complaint. DOJ’s descriptions of his alleged conduct, social-media statements, organizational role, and movements on January 6 were prosecution allegations at that stage. The arrest announcement itself stated that complaint charges were allegations and that a defendant was presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. [Review the DOJ arrest-source record](/case/documents/ethan-nordean-doj-arrest-announcement-2021-02-03). ## Jury verdict entered May 4, 2023 After a jury trial, the jury returned verdicts against Nordean on May 4, 2023. The later July 10, 2026 district-court memorandum identifies his counts of conviction as including: - seditious conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 2384; - conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties under 18 U.S.C. § 372; - obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder under 18 U.S.C. § 231(a)(3); - destruction of government property under 18 U.S.C. § 1361; - conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding under 18 U.S.C. § 1512(k); and - obstruction of an official proceeding under 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2). The memorandum also states that the jury acquitted the defendants of other offenses and did not reach a verdict on some counts. The archive records the verdict as a legal event, not as proof of Nordean’s moral character. DOJ’s descriptions of trial evidence remain attributed government characterizations. [Review the official verdict announcement](/case/documents/enrique-tarrio-doj-jury-verdict-2023-05-04). ## Sentence imposed September 1, 2023 DOJ reported that Judge Kelly sentenced Nordean on September 1, 2023, to 18 years’ imprisonment and 36 months’ supervised release. DOJ also reported that the court applied a terrorism-related sentencing enhancement to the destruction-of-government-property conviction. That enhancement was a sentencing ruling, not a separate terrorism conviction. [Review the DOJ sentencing-source record](/case/documents/ethan-nordean-doj-sentencing-announcement-2023-09-01). ## January 20, 2025 commutation Proclamation 10887 placed Nordean among fourteen specifically named people whose sentences were commuted to time served. That status differs from the proclamation’s separate full-pardon provision for other covered convicted defendants. The archive therefore describes Nordean’s January 2025 clemency as a **commutation to time served**, not a full pardon. [Review Proclamation 10887](/case/documents/january-6-clemency-proclamation-2025-01-20). ## Judgment vacated and indictment dismissed with prejudice The July 10, 2026 district-court memorandum states that the government moved in the D.C. Circuit on April 14, 2026, to vacate the judgments of Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola and remand for consideration of dismissal with prejudice. The motion was unopposed. The D.C. Circuit granted it on May 21, 2026, concluding that vacatur was just under the circumstances. The native appellate order has not yet been captured. The archive therefore preserves the May 21 action through the later district-court memorandum and its specific appellate docket reference rather than inventing language from the missing binary. On July 10, 2026, Judge Kelly granted the government’s unopposed Rule 48(a) motion and dismissed the indictment with prejudice as to Nordean, Biggs, Rehl, and Pezzola. The memorandum explains that the court was granting the executive branch’s requested dismissal under separation-of-powers precedent. Dismissal with prejudice prevents the dismissed indictment from being refiled; it is distinct from a jury acquittal after retrial. - [D.C. Circuit vacatur docket-reference record](/case/documents/nordean-dc-circuit-vacatur-docket-reference-2026-05-21) - [July 10 dismissal memorandum](/case/documents/nordean-et-al-dismissal-with-prejudice-2026-07-10) ## Separate civil action Nordean is also one of five plaintiffs in *Tarrio v. United States*, M.D. Fla. No. `6:25-cv-00998-ALG-DCI`. The plaintiffs allege constitutional violations and malicious prosecution. Those allegations remain unresolved civil claims. The public docket reviewed through July 10, 2026 identified the action as ongoing and recorded no prevailing party or relief. [Review the civil docket-status record](/case/documents/tarrio-proud-boys-civil-rights-lawsuit-docket-2026-07). ## Factual FAQ ### Was Ethan Nordean fully pardoned in January 2025? No. Proclamation 10887 specifically named Nordean for a commutation to time served. The same proclamation separately granted full pardons to other covered convicted defendants. ### Did the D.C. Circuit vacatur equal a new acquittal? No. The appellate court vacated the judgments on the government’s unopposed motion and remanded the matter. The archive does not describe that procedural action as a jury acquittal or as a factual finding that every allegation was false. ### What did the July 10, 2026 dismissal do? The district court dismissed the indictment with prejudice after the judgments had been vacated. The court did not conduct a new trial before dismissal. ### Is the separate civil case resolved? No final merits judgment or award was identified in the public docket reviewed through July 10, 2026. The plaintiffs’ allegations and the government’s defenses remain to be adjudicated unless the case is otherwise resolved. ## Related archive connections - [Joseph Randall Biggs](/case/people/joseph-biggs) - [Zachary Rehl](/case/people/zachary-rehl) - [Dominic Pezzola](/case/people/dominic-pezzola) - [Henry “Enrique” Tarrio](/case/people/enrique-tarrio) - [Explore the J6 Case Nexus](/case/nexus) - [Submit a source or correction](/submit) ## Editorial analysis The Real Ryan Nichols archive may analyze Nordean and other J6ers as victims of alleged or documented Biden-era DOJ weaponization. That editorial position is separate from the source record above. The archive preserves the government’s allegations, the jury record, judicial rulings, clemency distinctions, later vacatur and dismissal, and unresolved civil claims without treating any charge, verdict, sentence, commutation, dismissal, or media description as proof of moral character.
The case file
On the record
- Case number
- 1:21-cr-00175-TJK; M.D. Fla. No. 6:25-cv-00998-ALG-DCI
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- Judge
- Timothy J. Kelly (criminal); Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe (civil)
- Disposition
- Jury verdict entered May 4, 2023; sentence commuted to time served January 20, 2025; judgments vacated May 21, 2026; indictment dismissed with prejudice July 10, 2026. Separate civil action remained ongoing on the public docket reviewed through July 10, 2026.
- Arrested
- February 3, 2021
- Sentenced
- September 1, 2023
Charges
- Seditious conspiracy — jury verdict entered May 4, 2023; judgment later vacated May 21, 2026
- Conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties — jury verdict entered May 4, 2023; judgment later vacated May 21, 2026
- Obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder — jury verdict entered May 4, 2023; judgment later vacated May 21, 2026
- Destruction of government property — jury verdict entered May 4, 2023; judgment later vacated May 21, 2026
- Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding — jury verdict entered May 4, 2023; judgment later vacated May 21, 2026
- Obstruction of an official proceeding — jury verdict entered May 4, 2023; judgment later vacated May 21, 2026
Sentence
Sentenced September 1, 2023 to 18 years imprisonment and 36 months supervised release; sentence commuted to time served January 20, 2025; judgments vacated May 21, 2026; indictment dismissed with prejudice July 10, 2026.
Press & news
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/member-proud-boys-charged-obstructing-official-proceeding-other-charges-related-jan-6 →
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/jury-convicts-four-leaders-proud-boys-seditious-conspiracy-related-us-capitol-breach →
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/proud-boys-leaders-sentenced-prison-roles-jan-6-capitol-breach →
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/granting-pardons-and-commutation-of-sentences-for-certain-offenses-relating-to-the-events-at-or-near-the-united-states-capitol-on-january-6-2021/ →
- https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.241009/gov.uscourts.dcd.241009.1098.0.pdf →
- https://clearinghouse.net/case/48074/ →
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Connection to United States v. Nichols
Ethan Nordean appears in the record of United States v. Nichols through 14 shared documents on file below. The full case — timeline, people, documents — is public and free.
Walk the whole case →Evidence on file
14 documents on file
Ryan1 document
Ryan Nichols' own paperwork — grievances, motions, letters, cell notes.
article · May 4, 2023
DOJ Jury-Verdict Record — United States v. Nordean
Official DOJ announcement reporting the May 4, 2023 jury verdicts in the Proud Boys case. The government’s descriptions of evidence and conduct remain attributed to DOJ; the record does not substitute those descriptions for the verdict form or trial transcripts.
Attorney3 documents
Defense counsel correspondence (Joseph McBride, Jonathan Gross).
motion · Jul 8, 2026
Metropolitan AME Church Motion for Leave to File Reply — ECF No. 79
Docket-verified request by Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church for permission to file a reply concerning its intervention request.
motion · Jun 23, 2026
Tarrio Plaintiffs’ Motion to File Redacted Exhibits — ECF No. 78
Docket-verified motion by all five plaintiffs seeking leave to file redacted versions of Exhibits 5, 6, and 13 associated with earlier complaints.
motion · Jun 9, 2026
Tarrio Plaintiffs’ Opposition to Motion to Intervene — ECF No. 77
Docket-verified memorandum filed by Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Dominic Pezzola, and Zachary Rehl opposing Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church’s motion to intervene.
Court5 documents
Court orders, rulings, transcripts, and docket entries.
ruling · Jul 10, 2026
Memorandum dismissing United States v. Nordean with prejudice
Judge Timothy J. Kelly's July 10, 2026 memorandum, ECF No. 1098, granting the government's unopposed Rule 48(a) motion and dismissing Criminal Action No. 21-175 with prejudice as to Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola. The D.C. Circuit had vacated their judgments on May 21, 2026.
docket · Jul 10, 2026
Tarrio v. United States — July 2026 Civil Docket Status
Public docket status for the civil action brought by Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Dominic Pezzola, and Zachary Rehl. The docket was last updated July 10, 2026 and identifies the case as ongoing, with no prevailing party and no relief granted. Plaintiffs’ allegations remain unresolved claims.
order · Jul 9, 2026
Order Denying Leave to File Reply in Tarrio Civil Case — ECF No. 80
Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe denied the church’s request for leave to file a reply. The order did not itself resolve the underlying intervention motion or the merits of the plaintiffs’ claims.
docket · May 21, 2026
D.C. Circuit Vacatur Docket Reference — United States v. Nordean
Judge Timothy J. Kelly’s July 10, 2026 memorandum records that the D.C. Circuit granted the government’s unopposed motion on May 21, 2026 and vacated the judgments of Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, concluding that vacatur was just under the circumstances. The memorandum cites D.C. Circuit No. 23-3159, docket No. 2174532. The native appellate order remains pending capture, so this is a verified docket-reference record rather than a file-level copy.
order · Apr 10, 2026
Order Dismissing Tarrio Civil Complaint With Leave to Amend
Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe dismissed the original complaint without prejudice and allowed the plaintiffs to amend. The order did not decide the merits of a later amended complaint.
Govt response4 documents
Responses from DC DOC, the U.S. Marshals, and federal agencies.
order · Jan 20, 2025
January 20, 2025 January 6 Clemency Proclamation
Presidential proclamation commuting the sentences of fourteen named January 6 defendants to time served and granting full, complete, and unconditional pardons to the other covered convicted defendants. Person-specific status must be determined from the proclamation’s two separate clemency provisions.
article · Sep 1, 2023
DOJ Sentencing Announcement — Ethan Nordean
Official DOJ announcement reporting that Judge Timothy J. Kelly sentenced Ethan Nordean on September 1, 2023 to 18 years’ imprisonment and 36 months’ supervised release. DOJ also reported application of a terrorism-related sentencing enhancement to the destruction-of-government-property conviction; the enhancement was not a separate terrorism conviction. Canonical-URL SHA-256: 75427ee72610f8bd43f24438a039759e6dab7c49569159949c47dc9d13ee6a14. Signed judgment and sentencing transcript not captured.
article · May 4, 2023
DOJ Announcement — Proud Boys Jury Verdicts Including Enrique Tarrio
Official DOJ announcement reporting the May 4, 2023 jury verdicts. The archive attributes the government’s evidence descriptions to DOJ and records the verdict separately from moral or editorial judgments.
article · Feb 3, 2021
DOJ Arrest Announcement — Ethan Nordean
Official February 3, 2021 DOJ announcement reporting Ethan Nordean’s arrest and complaint-stage charges. The page expressly states that the complaint charges were allegations and that the defendant was presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Canonical-URL SHA-256: 6b9da38f5e9ec07ad74739b132f6a982504ac33be8a05ad5f2ed1b425b09dbf1. Native court-file binary not captured.
Other1 document
Other documents on file.
other · May 15, 2026
Second Amended Complaint in Tarrio v. United States
The five plaintiffs filed a second amended civil complaint with fourteen listed exhibits. Its allegations remain unadjudicated.