William Sarsfield was potentially facing 20 years in jail for his involvement in the January 6 riots in Washington DC. But he was released at 3am today following US President Donald Trump's sweeping pardons.
Hundreds of Donald Trump supporters who had been serving prison sentences for were freed on Wednesday, after the new president pardoned more than 1,500 people, including some who assaulted police officers.
Sarsfield was still wearing his prison-issued shoes and clothes when he drove three hours from jail in Pennsylvania to gather at the D.C. Central Detention Facility, the jail where many of the January 6 rioters were held.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons said 211 people had been released from federal facilities following Trump's pardon.
'Mixed emotions' following pardon
Sarsfield says he was "more of a witness" to the events of January 6. He denies attending that day to storm the Capitol, and instead, says he went "because President Trump put out a personal call to every American citizen".
On 1 November 2024, of felony and misdemeanour charges related to his conduct on January 6.
"I haven't been sentenced ... they were going to try to get me with 20+ years," he said.
While he welcomes his own pardon because he says there was no evidence of him harming any police officers, he's critical of Trump's "blanket pardon".
William Sarsfield was released from prison at 3am. He was still wearing his prison-issued clothes when he gathered at the D.C. Central Detention Facility, where many of the January 6 rioters were held. Source: SBS News
According to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll from December 2023, more than three in 10 Republicans believe in a conspiracy theory that FBI operatives organised and encouraged the January 6 attack.
Sarsfield says he has "mixed emotions" about the pardons.
"A commutation might've been a better way. That way, people could get out of the sentencing and be free from their sentence," he said.
A commutation is defined as the lessening of a criminal penalty, while a pardon is the termination of it.
"I'd like to hold people accountable for doing the wrong things. Even if it's the judges, if it's the prosecutors, all the way around the FBI agents."
Robert Morss says his life has been "destroyed" after January 6. Source: SBS News
'My life is in shambles'
for assaulting law enforcement officers, robbery, and obstruction of an official proceeding charge, and was sentenced to 66 months — five-and-a-half years — in prison.
After three-and-a-half years in jail, he was released following Trump's pardon.
He said he went to the Capitol with the belief that the election was "stolen", and that his life has been "destroyed" since January 6.
"I have three and a half years of my life taken away and everything else is destroyed, my teaching credentials are revoked, my wealth totally tarnished. Half of my friends and family don't even speak to me anymore. My brother's disowned me. My life is in shambles," he said.
With another four years of Trump ahead, Morss says he remains hopeful.
"I hope that he can apply justice to those that actually are guilty of insurrection," he said. "I hope he can rebuild what was broken, but I also hope he can lead us into that golden age of America that he promised in his inauguration speech."
A bipartisan Senate report found that at least seven people had died in connection with the January 6 attack.
Official reports indicated 140 officers guarding the Capitol that day were injured, however, the US justice department believes more police were injured than have been officially reported.
Kevin Loftus says it's "cool" that a "little guy" like him got a presidential pardon. Source: SBS News
'People like me don't get presidential pardons'
Kevin Loftus made headlines after he tried to fly overseas to join the Russian military and fight against Ukraine, and in the process, violated the terms of his probation for storming the US Capitol. For the probation violation, he was sentenced to six months in prison.
He too, was freed on Wednesday.
"We got popped out last night at 2am. They knocked on our cell doors at 11pm and said, 'You're getting out of here'," Loftus told SBS News at the D.C. Central Detention Facility.
"People were cheering us as we were leaving, including other convicts, because January 6 people got respect in jail. It was kind of cool."
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Loftus was charged with parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He says he was never part of any violence.
"You have a certain portion of Trump people that are law-abiding citizens and they would never fight the police," he said.
"This jail was terrible, so I'm really thankful they shipped me out of here. We got out this morning, and drove straight here to get these guys out. We're not leaving until everybody gets out."
Loftus says he's "thankful" Trump issued the pardon.
"I'm a working man my whole life, so when you talk about American politics, people like me don't get presidential pardons, but I got one."
"The fact that I'm just a little guy who got that pardon is pretty cool."
