The Swansea man convicted of participating in mob violence at the U.S. Capitol riots could face no penalty if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on a promise to pardon the rioters on his first day in office.
Michael St. Pierre, a former Fall River grocer, live-streamed himself taking part in a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. The rally devolved into an attack on the Capitol with some attempting insurrection; St. Pierre was captured on video in a melee at one of the doors and throwing an object inside.
He was found guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia of civil disorder, destruction of government property, disorderly conduct in the Capitol building and committing an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or building.
The civil disorder conviction is a felony.
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Mike St. Pierre of Fall River is seen here in a still frame from a TikTok video after hurling an object into the building during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Trump: Rioters could be pardoned on first day
Trump, in an interview Sunday with “Meet the Press,” said he is considering pardoning those convicted as one of his first official acts when he’s sworn into office on Jan. 20.
“I’m going to look at everything. We’re going to look at individual cases,” Trump said. “I’m going to be acting very quickly. … I’m looking first day.”
The ongoing prosecution of the people who violently entered the Capitol to try to block Congress’ certification of the 2020 election is the most sprawling federal investigation in U.S. history.
According to the most recent numbers released by the Department of Justice, at least 1,572 defendants have been charged and more than 1,251 have been convicted or pleaded guilty in the attack.
At least 645 defendants have been sentenced to incarceration, with the longest sentence being 22 years. There are roughly 250 people currently in custody, most of them serving sentences after being convicted.
Mike St. Pierre appears in a still frame of a video he recorded himself and live-streamed to Facebook in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, where he said he was going to march to the Capitol and break in. St. Pierre was later recorded on video hurling an object into the building.
Officials say they expect to arrest up to a thousand more people.
Five people at the riot died of varying causes and at least four police officers who responded to the Capitol riots died by suicide in the months after the incident.
Trump told “Meet the Press” there may be some exceptions to his pardons “if somebody was radical, crazy.” But he said would consider pardoning those who pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers.
‘Caught up in the moment’: Fall River store owner regrets his actions at Capitol riots
What happens if Trump pardons St. Pierre?
Prosecutors said St. Pierre egged on rioters to commit violence at the Capitol knowing that law enforcement officers were attempting to hold off the crowd.
In a January 2021 interview with The Herald News, St. Pierre admitted he participated in the riot and said he regretted his actions. At the time he said he was “kind of mad at Trump,” and that he believed the president should have known he was inciting his supporters to violence.
After sentencing, St. Pierre was released on personal recognizance. His case was referred to the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services office for presentencing investigation.
Unless he is pardoned, his sentencing is set for March 14. The charge of interfering with a law enforcement officer during the commission of a civil disorder carries a fine, a sentence of up to five years, or both.
St. Pierre has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Material from a story by Sarah D. Wire was used in this report.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Trump: Pardons possible for Capitol rioters like Swansea man