Taylor Taranto, a pardoned Jan. 6 defendant who was later convicted of 2023 charges stemming from livestreaming a bomb threat as he drove around former President Barack Obama’s D.C. neighborhood, was sentenced Thursday to time served and three years of supervised release.
A day earlier, the Justice Department withdrew its initial sentencing memo in the case, which mentioned Taranto’s alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The Justice Department subsequently placed two D.C.-based federal prosecutors on leave after they had filed court papers calling the Jan. 6 Capitol siege a “riot” perpetrated by a “mob,” three sources familiar with the matter told CBS News on Wednesday.
At the beginning of the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols praised the two prosecutors who were removed from the case, Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White, for doing “an excellent and commendable job” on the case and said it was some of “the best” work he’s seen with the “highest standards of professionalism.”
The original filing — which asked a judge to sentence Taranto to 27 months in prison — mentioned his Jan. 6 charges and briefly described the day’s events, writing that “thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol.”
That description of the Capitol riot was notable, since President Trump has called Jan. 6 a “day of love” and referred to the rioters as “hostages.”
The filing also said Taranto had driven to Obama’s neighborhood shortly after Mr. Trump posted the former president’s purported address on Truth Social and Taranto shared the post. He was also found guilty of illegally carrying two firearms without a license, and unlawfully possessing ammunition at the time of his arrest.
Later, a shorter sentencing memo appeared in the federal court database, omitting the references to the Jan. 6 riot and Mr. Trump’s post about Obama. Two different federal prosecutors were listed at the bottom of the filing, along with D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Both Valdavia and White were in the courtroom on Thursday, but declined to speak to reporters after the hearing.
At Thursday’s hearing, Nichols sentenced Taranto to 21 months, which amounts to time served because he spent more than that length of time in pretrial detention. Nichols also ordered three years of supervised release and said Taranto must undergo drug testing and a mental health evaluation.
Mr. Trump granted clemency to more than 1,500 accused and convicted Capitol rioters shortly after returning to the Oval Office earlier this year.
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