President Trump pardons Manatee’s convicted Jan. 6 residents, including ‘lectern guy’
Four Manatee County residents are among those who were pardoned or had their sentences commuted by President Donald Trump after storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The group includes a Parrish man whose viral photo carrying Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern made national headlines, a Bradenton man who entered the Capitol building alongside his parents and two Proud Boy affiliates. Trump’s clemency orders, issued Monday, are expected to impact around 1,500 individuals charged or convicted with the Capitol riot.
The executive action commuted the sentences of 14 individuals convicted of serious offenses and granted full and unconditional pardons to all others. It also ordered the dismissal of all pending charges and the release of anyone still serving prison time for their role in the attack.
“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” Trump wrote.
Speaking during the inaugural rally Monday night, Trump addressed a crowd and said he planned to fulfill his promise to pardon Jan. 6 rioters, referring to them as “hostages.”
“Tonight, I’m gonna be signing on the J6 hostages’ pardons to get them out,” Trump told a crowd at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. “We’ll be signing pardons for a lot of people. A lot of people.”
Trump pardons Manatee Capitol riot participants
Adam Christian Johnson, dubbed “the lectern guy” or “podium guy,” was among the locals granted clemency. Johnson became one of the most recognizable figures from the Capitol riot when a photo of him smiling and waving while carrying Pelosi’s lectern went viral.
Prosecutors say Johnson breached the Capitol building through the Senate wing door and “wandered about the Capitol for several minutes” before going down a hallway and attempting to open Pelosi’s office door, which was locked. Then, prosecutors say Johnson found and took Pelosi’s lectern, carrying it out to the House Rotunda and posing for several photos before setting it down.
Johnson was sentenced to 75 days in federal prison, followed by one year of probation, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
In several tweets posted to social media Monday, Johnson celebrated the presidential pardon and poked fun at this previous conviction.
“Got a pardon... now... about my lectern,” Johnson wrote in a Monday evening post that garnered over 43,000 likes.
Another Manatee County resident granted clemency is John Anthony Schubert III, of Bradenton. Schubert was convicted of assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
Prosecutors say Schubert participated in the “initial breach” of police barricades at the Peace Circle around 12:53 p.m. on Jan. 6. He confronted police officers near the Capitol’s inauguration stage, where he pushed against police lines and attempted to punch an officer before being sprayed.
The FBI reported that video footage showed Schubert pushing and shoving “at least one law enforcement officer.”
After entering the Capitol building through a broken window next to the Senate Wing Door, prosecutors say Schubert helped his parents climb through the same window. Schubert’s parents, who are from Illinois, were also convicted for their roles in the riot.
Proud Boys member Daniel Lyons Scott, known as “Milkshake,” was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges, including assaulting law enforcement. Prosecutors say Scott, a Bradenton man, was among the first rioters to initiate physical confrontations with police on the Capitol steps, helping to lead the mob that breached the building. Scott’s involvement was linked to the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group associated with political violence.
Another Proud Boys affiliate from Bradenton, Tom Vournas, took part in the riot alongside members of the extremist group. Prosecutors say Vournas, known as “El Greco,” marched with around 100 Proud Boys from the Washington Monument to the Capitol on Jan. 6, before joining the mob that breached police barriers at the Peace Circle and entered restricted Capitol grounds.
Prosecutors say Vournas used pepper gel to spray Capitol Police officers, hitting one in the face and causing injury. He later entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door, took photos inside and exited shortly after.
Vournas pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon and inflicting bodily injury, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
