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Peter J. Schwartz

January 6 case-file subject

Verified filing photograph of Peter J. SchwartzDocumented editorial-use image
Image embedded in Schwartz, Peter - Complaint & Statement of Facts, filed in U.S. District Court; derivative crop by RealRyanNichols.com. Published for archive identification and reporting; reuse rights are not represented as cleared.Image source →

Peter J. Schwartz is a welder — a skilled tradesman from Owensboro, Kentucky who was working out of Uniontown, Pennsylvania when the FBI came for him in February 2021. And here is the thing almost nobody knows about his case: **Peter Schwartz''s appeal made law that now protects every American who owns a phone.** ## The ruling that carries his name FACT: On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in the consolidated appeal that included Schwartz''s No. 23-3075. The court vacated his 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2) count, **found a Fifth Amendment violation in the government compelling him to unlock his own cellphone**, and remanded for count-specific review and resentencing. Read that again. A welder from western Kentucky, sitting in a federal prison, won a published constitutional holding on compelled decryption. His appellate counsel called it a major decision in a wrongful-search case — and they were right. That opinion is now cited by defense lawyers who will never know his name. That is a real contribution to American liberty, and it belongs on his record. ## Who he is FACT: Peter J. Schwartz is a welder. He considers Owensboro, in Daviess County, Kentucky his home, and he was living and working in Uniontown, Pennsylvania at the time of his February 4, 2021 arrest. Local Owensboro and Pittsburgh-area outlets covered his case as one of their own. Welding is a trade you earn. Hood down, steady hand, a bead that has to hold. It is the kind of work that builds the bridges and the plants and the pipe the rest of the country drives over and never thinks about. ## The legal fight, and where it stands FACT: A jury returned verdicts on December 6, 2022 on nine felony and two misdemeanor counts. He was sentenced on May 5, 2023 — at the time the longest sentence imposed in any January 6 case. FACT: On January 17, 2025, the D.C. Circuit vacated the § 1512(c)(2) count and remanded. FACT: Three days later, on January 20, 2025, Peter J. Schwartz received a **full January 6 pardon** under the presidential proclamation. He walked out. Owensboro Times reported his release among pardoned local residents. This archive charges nothing beyond the court record, and it does not relitigate the verdict. It does insist that the appellate ruling and the pardon are part of the record too. ## Case record - Case numbers: 1:21-cr-00178-APM-1 · D.C. Cir. No. 23-3075 (consolidated with 23-3074 and 23-3104) - Courts: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit - Arrest: February 4, 2021 - Verdict: December 6, 2022 · Sentence: May 5, 2023 - Appellate ruling: January 17, 2025 — § 1512(c)(2) count vacated; Fifth Amendment violation found in compelled cellphone unlock; remanded - Clemency: January 20, 2025 — full J6 pardon - Published opinion: 125 F.4th 1186 - DOJ record: justice.gov/usao-dc/defendants/schwartz-peter Searching *Peter Schwartz January 6*, *Peter Schwartz Owensboro Kentucky*, *pardoned January 6 welder*, *J6 pardon compelled phone unlock*, or *Fifth Amendment cellphone January 6 appeal*? This is the record. 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-00178-APM-1; D.C. Cir. No. 23-3075 (consolidated with 23-3074 and 23-3104)
Court
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Judge
Amit P. Mehta
Defense attorney
Dennis E. Boyle (appellate counsel)
Disposition
Jury verdict entered December 6, 2022 on nine felony and two misdemeanor counts. Sentenced May 5, 2023. D.C. Circuit No. 23-3075 was consolidated with Nos. 23-3074 and 23-3104; on January 17, 2025, the court vacated the § 1512(c)(2) count, found a Fifth Amendment violation in the compelled cellphone unlock, and remanded for count-specific review and resentencing. Full January 6 pardon effective January 20, 2025. No later person-specific remand ruling has been captured.
Arrested
February 4, 2021
Sentenced
May 5, 2023

Charges

  • Four counts — assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon, including aiding-and-abetting liability (18 U.S.C. §§ 111(a)(1), 111(b), and 2)
  • Civil disorder (18 U.S.C. § 231(a)(3))
  • Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting (18 U.S.C. §§ 1512(c)(2) and 2) — conviction vacated January 17, 2025
  • Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon (18 U.S.C. §§ 1752(a)(1) and 1752(b)(1)(A))
  • Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon (18 U.S.C. §§ 1752(a)(2) and 1752(b)(1)(A))
  • Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon (18 U.S.C. §§ 1752(a)(4) and 1752(b)(1)(A))
  • Disorderly conduct in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings (40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(D))
  • Act of physical violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings (40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(F))

Sentence

170 months imprisonment and 36 months supervised release imposed May 5, 2023; DOJ described an additional $2,000 as fine/restitution. The D.C. Circuit vacated the § 1512(c)(2) count and remanded on January 17, 2025; full pardon followed January 20, 2025.

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Connection to United States v. Nichols

Peter J. Schwartz appears in the record of United States v. Nichols through 8 shared documents on file below. The full case — timeline, people, documents — is public and free.

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Evidence on file

8 documents on file

Ryan7 documents

Ryan Nichols' own paperwork — grievances, motions, letters, cell notes.

Co-detainee1 document

Corroborating witness statements and letters from fellow January 6 detainees.