With a swipe of his pen, President Donald Trump fulfilled a campaign promise on Monday night, issuing sweeping pardons that erased four years of federal investigations and prosecutions of the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The pardons are for 1500 defendants including 44 Georgians. Among the 44, 16 received periods of incarceration ranging from 20 days to five years in prison with seven receiving sentences of less than two months. Nine Georgia defendants received probation, rather than prison. Thirteen Georgians have not taken a plea deal or had their charges brought to court and are out on bond. Only in very rare cases were defendants held without bond and defendant commonly were given appearance bonds, meaning they promised to return for hearings and did not have to post a monetary bond.