Justice Department Seeks to Vacate Proud Boys Leader's Jan. 6 Conviction The U.S. Department of Justice is moving to overturn the seditious conspiracy conviction of Ethan Nordean, a Proud Boys leader, in a significant shift regarding prosecutions tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The move aligns with a broader departmental strategy to re-evaluate serious charges and seeks to expunge some of the most impactful criminal findings against defendants involved in the attack. The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated a significant shift in its approach to prosecuting cases stemming from the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, moving to vacate the conviction of Ethan Nordean, a prominent leader within the far-right Proud Boys group from Washington state. This action represents a sweeping reversal of some of the most serious charges leveled in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Nordean was among several members of extremist groups, including the Oath Keepers, whose seditious conspiracy convictions prosecutors have recently asked a federal appeals court to nullify. This move aligns with the department's established practice of seeking the vacating of convictions in cases where it deems dismissal to be in the interest of justice, a process often granted by the Supreme Court. Prosecutors, in a court filing signed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, stated that the motion to vacate Nordean's conviction is consistent with their ongoing strategy to undo prosecutions related to the Capitol assault. This event, which disrupted the congressional certification of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory, saw Nordean play a crucial role. According to prosecutors, he was instrumental in leading a contingent of Proud Boys toward the Capitol building. In 2023, Nordean was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other felony charges, resulting in a sentence of 18 years, one of the most severe penalties issued in the January 6 prosecutions. A long-time resident of Washington state, Nordean had been considered a key organizer of the Proud Boys' activities on that day. His sentence was later commuted in 2025 as part of a broad clemency initiative by then-President Trump for individuals convicted in connection with the riot. The Justice Department's current action seeks to go a step further by formally expunging these convictions, thereby removing the most severe criminal findings associated with their involvement. Nordean's attorney, Nicholas Smith, expressed gratitude for the Justice Department's decision, characterizing it as a wise step. Smith emphasized the desire to avoid establishing a precedent where any physical altercation between protesters and law enforcement could be construed as a crime akin to treason, such as seditious conspiracy. However, the Justice Department's new direction has drawn criticism. Former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who sustained injuries during the riot, including a heart attack after being tased, conveyed his disappointment but acknowledged he was not entirely surprised by the ongoing dismantling of these prosecutions. Fanone reminded the public that those involved were, in his view, traitors who planned, incited, and executed an insurrection. The clemency and pardons issued by former President Trump to individuals like Nordean, even while numerous cases remained pending, have been noted. This broader trend of reduced sentences and pardons for individuals from western Washington convicted in connection with the Capitol attack highlights the region's significant involvement in the prosecutions