Zach Rehl, the former leader of the Philadelphia Proud Boys, was behind bars in rural Virginia on Monday, a federal prisoner who wore a unique distinction one of the few people in American history to be convicted of seditious conspiracy.
His 15-year prison sentence wasn’t scheduled to end until the 2030s, and its length reflected what the judge found was the main instigator during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol – an attack that prosecutors said violence ensued because Rehl and other members of his right-wing group incited the crowd in an attempt to keep Donald Trump in power.
But early Tuesday, Rehl’s fortunes suddenly took a turn.
Trump returned to the White House, this time after winning re-election in 2024. In a sweeping decision that was one of the first official acts of his novel term, Trump pardoned nearly all of the 1,500 people charged in the riots and promised to end all ongoing prosecutions and commuted the sentences of 14 accused ringleaders, including Rehl and several other Proud Boys who were also convicted of seditious conspiracy.
Hours later, Rehl was a free man – released around 1 a.m. from the medium-security facility in Hopewell, Virginia, where he was held as federal prisoner 34945-509.
In a text message to The Inquirer on Tuesday afternoon, Rehl wrote: “I am extremely grateful to President Trump for keeping his promise to pardon the January 6 hostages on day one, and I look forward to seeing my commuted sentence converted to a full pardon in the near future.” “
The release of the 39-year-old Port Richmond man was just one example of the fallout likely to fall on Trump’s strike action aimed at ending all criminal prosecutions of the Capitol rioters – a decision Trump had long hinted at and announced hours after after he was sworn in again as president.
In Trump’s four years of absence over 1,200 people According to the Department of Justice, they were convicted of crimes ranging from simple trespassing to assaulting law enforcement officers on January 6, 2021, while trying to block the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Officials said the investigation was the largest single investigation in the department’s history.
When Trump returned to power this week, he continued to accuse the prosecutors involved of abusing their power and attacking political opponents. Although some Republican allies of Trump suggested that he pardon convicted rioters on a case-by-case basis, he instead opted to grant a full pardon, describing the Jan. 6 defendants as “hostages” who were unfairly persecuted and “so mistreated.”
By Tuesday, at least three other prominent players involved in the attack – Enrique Tarrio and Joseph Biggs of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers – he was also released from prison.
And two brothers from the Lehigh Valley, Matthew and Andrew Valentin, they were among the first to be released overdue Monday, just days after they were sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for assaulting police officers.
Democratic members of Congress were among those criticizing Trump’s actions this week. Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle called the pardon “a disgrace to our country and our Constitution.”
New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim, who helped officers clean up the Capitol Rotunda after the Jan. 6 riot, added: “The idea that people could come and attack [police]they will come to the place they are supposed to protect, and then these people will be released. What deters them from doing it again?”
Meanwhile, the brother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick – a New Jersey native who died after suffering two strokes partly attributed to the attacks – called Trump’s efforts “a betrayal not only of the families and loved ones of those wounded and killed, but of all Americans,” according to the Washington Post .
But Trump – who was once charged with leading the effort to stay in power after losing the 2020 election – remains consistent, trying to downplay the chaos of that day. He has long suggested that he would offer some form of relief to the Jan. 6 defendants upon returning to the White House, and he invoked two powers granted to presidents: the ability to grant pardons, which effectively eliminate any criminal consequences resulting from a conviction, and to grant commutations, which could terminate or shorten the defendant’s sentence and open the way to release from prison.
He also said he would order the Justice Department to stop prosecuting hundreds of cases where defendants are still awaiting trial or sentencing – including several in the Philadelphia area.
One of them is Ryan Samsel, a Bucks County man who was convicted last year of crimes including assaulting a police officer. Prosecutors said Samsel was another key instigator of the riot – someone who helped bring down police barricades and pushed officers away before the Proud Boys and others broke through the security perimeter to begin attacking the Capitol.
In court documents filed over the weekend, prosecutors said they would ask a judge to sentence Samsel to 20 years in prison. It is a sentence that “reflects the seriousness of Samsel’s conduct and provides sufficient deterrence, given Samsel’s continued lack of remorse and busy and public repetition of false narratives.” , a violent criminal history and a desire to storm the Capitol again,” they wrote. The verdict was due next month
But on Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss Samsel’s case, echoing Trump’s unequivocal statement the previous day in which he called for the dismissal of “all pending indictments against specific individuals for their conduct related to events in or near the United States “. United States Capitol, January 6, 2021.”
Isaiah Giddings will almost certainly be the next beneficiary.
Giddings was a member of the Philadelphia Proud Boys in 2021 and traveled from the city to Washington with Rehl and several other Proud Boys before storming the Capitol. Prosecutors said that as the mob entered the building, Giddings followed and then took photos with Rehl in certain locations, including the senator’s office.
Giddings was not charged with any violent offenses and pleaded guilty in 2022 to disorderly conduct. His sentencing hearing was scheduled for next week, but that now appears unlikely given Trump’s orders.
Attempts to contact Giddings, 39, were unsuccessful on Tuesday. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, Rehl’s supporters have spent years describing him online as a victim of false accusationcalling him a “political prisoner” and urging supporters to vote for Trump to secure a pardon.
In a text message after his release from prison, Rehl did not address these issues, instead stating that he was “trying to settle down and see family and friends.”
“In the meantime, I will consider my options,” he continued, “and see what happens next.”
Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.
