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Pedophiles, wife-beaters, meth cooks: More criminal histories for Trump-pardoned J6 rioters emerge [1]
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Date: 2025-01-30
Take any 1500 Americans at random, statistically 500 will have a criminal record — 120 will have a felon conviction . When those 1500 have already been convicted of crimes relating to the Jan 6 Capitol riot, the odds say more than 120 will have another felony conviction on their resumé. In the wake of Trump’s blanket pardon of every rioter it is, therefore, no surprise to discover that some of these absolved domestic terrorists are so vile a MAGA might suspect they are ‘illegal aliens’.
NPR has uncovered some of their heinous histories. I doubt their report will prove comprehensive. And by no means are all the rioters equally bad — even though they were rightly convicted. The article points out:
While many people had no criminal record prior to committing crimes on Jan. 6, NPR has identified dozens of defendants with prior convictions or pending charges for crimes including rape, sexual abuse of a minor, domestic violence, manslaughter, production of child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking.
The common link in most of these crimes is that violent men usually perpetrated physical and emotional violence on weaker people — including women and children. These criminals are the lowest of the low. They are bullies picking on powerless victims. In other words, Trump’s kind of people. No wonder he was so quick to let them go. He’s one of them. (It also helped that all are white and male.)
Here is a list of them.
Matthew Huttle
On Sunday last, Huttle was shot and killed by cops in Indiana during a traffic stop, less than a week after Trump said he was free to carry on sinning. NPR summarized his criminal career.
In 2023, Huttle pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds on Jan. 6, and received a sentence of six months in prison. Huttle "has an extensive criminal history that demonstrates a pattern and practice of disrespecting and disobeying the rule of law, which is consistent with his actions on January 6, 2021," prosecutors said . In one incident, "Huttle spanked his 3-year-old son so hard that he left bruises all over the child's backside and the child's neck, and the child had such extreme pain on his backside that he could not sit properly for a week," prosecutors said . "Huttle was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment." Prosecutors also noted repeated arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Theodore Middendorf
This pedophile had been charged with "Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child." In a court filing , prosecutors alleged Middendorf "committed an act of sexual penetration" on a 7-year-old.
Middendorf pled guilty to that obscenity in May 2024 and was sentenced to 19 years in prison. He is currently a registered sex offender and remains locked up for his crimes. As a state offender, he is beyond Trump’s pardon reach.
He had pled guilty to destruction of government property for striking a window at the U.S. Capitol with a flagpole on Jan. 6. He was awaiting sentencing for his role in the Capitol riot when the Justice Department dismissed his case following Trump's order.
Peter Schwartz
During the penalty phase of his conviction for Jan 6 crimes, federal prosecutors wrote in their sentencing recommendation that Schwartz had a "jaw-dropping criminal history of 38 prior convictions going back to 1991" when he assaulted police officers with pepper spray on Jan. 6
They described : a 1994 disorderly conduct case for throwing a "lit cigarette at a victim" and striking her "near her eyes".
a 2004 case for assault with a deadly weapon;
a 2019 case for "terroristic threats" for threatening police while under arrest for domestic assault.
and a 2020 case of assaulting his wife "including by biting her on the forehead and punching her multiple times."
At the time, prosecutors said , "The only reliable method of protecting the community from Schwartz in the future is to remove him from the community for as long as possible." The Judge saw their wisdom. Amit Mehta gave Schwartz one of the toughest prison sentences stemming from the Capitol riot — more than 14 years .
Now Trump has freed him to continue his miserable and pointless existence as a threat to others.
David Daniel
This is how NPR reported this defective human being’s predatory past:
David Daniel of Mint Hill, N.C., is charged with "Production of Child Pornography" and "Possession of Child Pornography," which allegedly "involved a prepubescent minor" and a child under 12 years old. "The government's forecast of evidence is compelling and suggests Defendant engaged in sexual acts with two young girls in his own family," Magistrate Judge David Keesler wrote of the case against Daniel. "It is also alleged he took and kept photos of the genitalia of the victims. The mother of one victim (Defendant's ex−wife) appeared in court to request that Defendant not be released." Because of those findings, Judge Keesler ordered Daniel to remain in detention pending trial. Daniel has pleaded not guilty to the charges in North Carolina and that case remains pending. Separately, Daniel pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting police officers on Jan. 6, but he had not yet been sentenced. Trump's Department of Justice dismissed that case.
I have nothing to add except to hope that the North Carolina judicial authorities give Danial all he deserves with some icing.
Daniel Ball (not to be confused with David Daniel above)
According to his arrest warrant Ball of Florida threw an "explosive device that detonated upon at least 25 officers" during the Capitol riot and also "forcefully" shoved police trying to protect the building.
According to the charging documents, Ball had a criminal record before his arrest for his Jan. 6 crimes, including for
"Domestic Violence Battery by Strangulation,"
"Resisting Law Enforcement with Violence,"
"Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer."
When federal agents arrested Ball on the Jan 6 charges, he was also in possession of a gun and bullets — an illegal act for a convicted criminal. A Florida federal grand jury subsequently indicted Ball in August 2024 for "Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition by a Convicted Felon."
Ball pleaded not guilty to his Capitol riot charges. But the DOJ has now dismissed his case. However, in a rare piece of good news, Trump's pardon did not resolve his gun case. On Jan. 22, Ball was rearrested on the Florida gun charges. That case remains pending, and Ball has pleaded not guilty.
Andrew Taake
This Texan pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers with bear spray and a "metal whip" on Jan. 6 and was sentenced to six years in prison. It was not his first criminal act.
The Harris County District Attorney, Sean Teare, said that Taake is wanted on 2016 charges of soliciting a minor online. He told NPR, "We are already in the process of tracking Taake down”. Taake allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to someone he thought was a 15-year-old girl, but was, in fact, an undercover law enforcement officer. A point prosecutors raised as part of his Jan. 6 case . Not that Taake has to worry about Jan 6 anymore.
Kasey Hopkins
According to his Jan 6 sentencing memorandum, Hopkins has a lengthy and troubling criminal history" including a 2002 conviction for "forcible rape," which resulted in a seven-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors alleged , "The defendant had forcible intercourse with the victim, choked her to the point of impairing her vision, banged her head into a wall, and urinated into the victim's mouth to humiliate her.” Adding, “When the victim attempted to flee, naked, the defendant caught up to her and threw her down."
They also said that Hopkins had other prior convictions for
“Assault on a law enforcement officer,"
"Operating a motor vehicle without a license,"
"Possession of a controlled substance."
In 2022, Hopkins pleaded guilty to a charge of "parading, demonstrating and picketing in a Capitol building," and was sentenced to four months in prison. Prosecutors said that before the Jan. 6 riot, he discussed the possibility of a "Civil War" and proposed forming a group called "Proud Felons for Trump."
What a winner.
Edward Richmond Jr.
Jan 6 prosecutors said that Richmond, while serving in the U.S. Army, "was convicted of manslaughter after shooting a hand-cuffed Iraqi cow herder in the head with his rifle," Adding , "Richmond was sentenced to three years of military confinement and dishonorably discharged."
Court documents show Richmond also has convictions for resisting officers and driving under the influence, as well as an arrest for domestic abuse.
Richmond pleaded guilty to a charge of "Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon." In his plea, he admitted he wore "tactical gear" to the Capitol on Jan. 6, including a helmet, goggles, and a camouflage vest. He "stayed at the front of the mob fighting against police for almost two hours," and struck officers with a baton.
Richmond was sentenced to more than four years in prison in his Jan. 6 case. Now he's out.
Jonathan Gennaro Mellis
Mellis had a previous felony criminal conviction for drug trafficking — conspiracy to manufacture or sell methamphetamine — which resulted in a 20-year prison sentence. Prosecutors said he also had a history of arrests, including one for domestic assault.
In 2023, Mellis pleaded guilty to "Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon" and agreed as part of his plea that he used a large wooden stick to "repeatedly strike or stab" police officers on Jan. 6.
Now he’s also out.
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