Pardoned J6 rioters demand refunds for payments they made for damage to Capitol [View all]

Source: Raw Story

October 20, 2025 2:16PM ET


When President Donald Trump mass pardoned nearly all of the Jan. 6 defendants, he set in motion further legal questions about the restitution some judges ordered to be paid. But it's a little all over the place when it comes to the former defendants having their restitution dismissed.

CBS News reporter Scott MacFarlane provided a Monday update about former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) having nearly $400,000 in restitution dismissed. The disgraced congressman pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft, but had his sentence commuted — and the demand for restitution dropped — by Trump on Friday.

MacFarlane then compared the Santos case to the January 6 defendants, more than 1,500 of which were granted clemency after Trump's inauguration in January. Some are now fighting restitution orders.

"Jan. 6 defendants had only paid back a fraction of the money owed to taxpayers," said MacFarlane. "With the cleanup of the Capitol, the repair of the Capitol and the cost of police. And those who hadn't paid, some of them have been in the court as recently as this week asking for reimbursements to get their money back from the payments already made to the government." He said that some judges are willing to dismiss the fees, while others have not been.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/january-6-2674215278/