Pensacola man who served time for Jan. 6 insurrection hopes for pardon under Trump

President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to pardon the rioters charged for their roles in the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C.

Four of the people convicted are from Northwest Florida: Jesus Rivera, Tristan Stevens, Timothy O'Malley and Andrew Griswold. Some of their charges range from entering a restricted building to assaulting a police officer.

Rivera, who already served his prison sentence, is hoping for a pardon but hasn't been in contact with Trump or his team.

A federal judge sentenced Rivera from Pensacola for unlawfully entering the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He was sent to federal prison in Jesup, Ga., in November 2022, serving six months.

It was pretty disheartening to be honest with you. I wasn't able to see my family, my wife, my kids," said Rivera. "That was the main thing that really got to me, was that, not being able to see them.

Rivera said he was at the Capitol as an independent journalist to capture the events of Jan. 6 with his wife. He livestreamed himself entering the Capitol with a group of Trump supporters through a window without permission.

Rivera did not have media credentials to be inside the Capitol. The affidavit claims Rivera was inside for 20 minutes before he left. He claims he did nothing wrong.

"If there's anything different I would do, I mean, I don't know," said Rivera. "Not a lot... Just doing a little more research on do's and don'ts and, you know, what can and can't be done."

A hundred and seventy-two police officers were injured when rioters attacked them. Five people died during or following the attack, including one Capitol police officer.

Trump has said he would exonerate nonviolent offenders who stormed the Capitol that day. Rivera is hoping he will stick to that promise.

You know, you gotta understand, I was one of the first people arrested in Florida for this," Rivera said. "One of the first people to go to trial on misdemeanor charges, and I've served my time. So a pardon would give me an exoneration.

"I do believe there are individuals who did some stupid stuff," he said. "There are individuals that deserve to still be in prison and do deserve to do the time for what they did."

In the cases of the other Northwest Florida men charged in the riot, Stevens was found guilty of five felonies and is serving a five-year prison sentence.

O'Malley was sentenced to 24 months probation for his role. And Griswold served 75 days in jail.

More than 1,400 people have been charged in connection with the attack on Jan. 6. And prosecutors have secured more than 1,000 convictions.

Trump has not said when he plans to pardon the nonviolent offenders.