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Verified subject · United States v. Nichols
Ryan Taylor Nichols
Pardoned January 6 defendant · U.S. Marine Corps veteran · Search-and-Rescue specialist · Independent investigative journalist
New here? This page is the whole story, told in paper: a Marine and hurricane rescuer, arrested after January 6 — 1,463 days detained, solitary confinement, a judge admitting on the record that his due process was violated, a habeas suit filed from his cell, release, a plea, 63 months, then a full pardon and dismissal with prejudice. Every claim links to the document that proves it. Read it. Check it. Share it.
United States Marine Corps veteran, founder of Wholesale Universe, Inc. — a multi-million-dollar wholesale and retail company — and a Texas Search and Rescue specialist. Husband and father. Charged in connection with the events of January 6, 2021 and held in pretrial detention across ten federal and local facilities, where a federal judge acknowledged on the record that his due-process rights had been violated. He pled guilty in November 2023 to two felonies and on May 2, 2024 was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison and a $200,000 fine. On January 20, 2025 he was granted a full and unconditional pardon by President Donald J. Trump, and the case was then dismissed with prejudice. Ryan maintains the prosecution was government entrapment and lawfare. Today he reports on his own case — and the weaponization of the justice system — as an independent investigative journalist, in public and in full.
Stand with Ryan — tap to react, no signup.
This case anchors the January 6 Case Archive — every defendant who joins stacks their record into it.
Enter the archive →Chapter One · Before the case — the man behind the file
Two decades running toward the disaster.
Long before he was a case number, Ryan was the man wading into floodwater to pull strangers out. A U.S. Marine, then a civilian search-and-rescue volunteer across more than two dozen hurricane deployments.
Service record · USMC 2010–2014
United States Marine Corps
- Enlisted
- 2010 — during two wars
- Discharge
- 2014 — Honorable
- Rank
- Noncommissioned Officer
- Okinawa, Japan
- 9th Communications Battalion
- Camp Pendleton
- 2nd Bn, 1st Marines
- Led
- 30+ Marines · ASF security
Decorations
Search & rescue · the operations log
Two dozen-plus deployments. A partial record.
- 2005
Hurricane Katrina
His first rescue — at age 13.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2012
Okinawa typhoons
On the ground for four typhoons while serving in the Marines — most notably Super Typhoon Jelawat.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2017
Hurricane Harvey
His first hurricane as a civilian. Raised $30,000+ in supplies — a boat, motor, diapers, food, formula, water — for families in dire straits.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2018
Hurricane Florence
Drove 2,000+ miles and led water rescues for dozens of women, infants, elderly, disabled, and animals.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2018
Hurricane Michael
Worked alongside the U.S. Coast Guard on Med-Evac helicopter rescues in Panama City; search-and-rescue for an eight-months-pregnant woman whose home had collapsed on top of her.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2019
Hurricane Barry
Teamed with Cajun Navy 2016 in Jeanerette, Louisiana.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2019
Hurricane Dorian
Cleared roads for first responders across the Carolinas.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2019
Tropical Storm Imelda
High-water horse rescue in Vidor, Texas; rescued an elderly bedridden man and his disabled family.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2020
Tropical Storm Cristobal
Louisiana & Biloxi. Among the first on scene when a missing couple was found after 24 hours; rescued 20–30+ from flooded roads.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2020
Hurricanes Arthur & Hanna
Pulled people and vehicles from ditches as the eyewall hit.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2020
Hurricane Laura
Welfare checks and cleanup; reconnected distraught mothers with their stranded children.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record - 2020
Hurricane Sally
Foley, Alabama — rescued 50+ people in a single day on video. Many were babies, children, and elderly. Removed a near-death man from a collapsed building.
Open this chapter — the full story, pictures, and record
Recognized for the rescues
Ellen DeGeneres recognized his Hurricane Florence rescues on The Ellen Show — sponsoring Rescue the Universe with a new rescue boat and donating $25,000 to the Animal Humane Society in his honor.
The case file
On the record
- Case number
- 1:21-cr-117
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Judge
- Hon. Thomas F. Hogan (pretrial & detention, 2021–2023); Hon. Royce C. Lamberth (plea, sentencing & judgment, 2023–2025)
- Prosecutor
- AUSA Brasher
- Defense attorney
- Joseph D. McBride; Jonathan Gross
- Disposition
- Arrested January 18, 2021 in the Eastern District of Texas. Indicted in 2021; arraigned April 26, 2021 and initially pleaded not guilty. Held in pretrial detention across ten federal and local facilities, where U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan acknowledged on the record in December 2021 that his due-process rights had been violated. Pled guilty in November 2023 to two felonies: obstruction of an official proceeding (18 U.S.C. 1512(c)(2)) and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers (18 U.S.C. 111). Sentenced May 2, 2024 to 63 months in federal prison and a $200,000 fine. Granted a full and unconditional pardon by President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025; the case was then dismissed with prejudice by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. Ryan maintains the prosecution was government entrapment and lawfare. Co-defendant: Alex Kirk Harkrider (Carthage, Texas), No. 1:21-cr-117. Related civil action: petition for writ of habeas corpus, Nichols v. Garland, No. 1:22-cv-02356 (D.D.C.).
- Arrested
- January 18, 2021
- Sentenced
- May 2, 2024
Charges
- Civil Disorder
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding
- Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon
- Theft of Government Property
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon
- Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon
- Unlawful Possession of a Dangerous Weapon on Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building
- Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
Sentence
63 months in federal prison and a $200,000 fine (subsequently pardoned January 20, 2025; case then dismissed with prejudice).
Chapter Two · The case, start to finish
Arrested. Convicted. Pardoned.
- Jan 18, 2021
Arrested
Taken into custody in the Eastern District of Texas.
- 2021
Indicted
Charged with multiple counts tied to January 6.
- Apr 26, 2021
Arraigned
Initially pleaded not guilty.
- Dec 2021
Due process violated — on the record
A federal judge acknowledged from the bench that his due-process rights had been violated. He was held across ten federal and local facilities anyway.
- Aug 10, 2022
Sued the Attorney General from his cell
Still detained, he petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus — Nichols v. Garland, 1:22-cv-02356 (D.D.C.) — naming Attorney General Merrick Garland and the DC jail leadership over his pretrial detention.
Read the paper → - Nov 22, 2022
Released on personal recognizance
After 22 months of pretrial detention, Judge Thomas F. Hogan ordered release on personal recognizance. The habeas petition had been voluntarily dismissed weeks earlier.
Read the paper → - Nov 2023
Pleaded guilty
Pleaded guilty to two felonies: obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.
Read the paper → - May 2, 2024
Convicted & sentenced
Sentenced to 63 months in federal prison and a $200,000 fine.
Read the paper → - Jan 20, 2025
Fully pardoned
Granted a full and unconditional pardon by President Trump.
Read the paper → - 2025
Dismissed with prejudice
Following the pardon, the charges were dismissed with prejudice by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. — the case can never be brought again.
Chapter Three · The detention record — 1,463 days
Not memoir. Paper.
What happened between arrest and pardon is not a story he tells — it is a file he built, one exhibit at a time, from inside. Every entry below carries an exhibit number from the master archive or lives in the public document record. Items marked Documented are documented. Items marked His account are his sworn or stated account, with the corroborating records named.
Solitary confinement
Documented from inside: inmates passing out in solitary (EX-258); the conditions record photographed and filed (EX-251, EX-256). A federal judge discussed his solitary confinement and due process on the record — preserved on video (EX-529).
The emergency release motion that put the conditions before the court →Due process violated — acknowledged from the bench
December 2021: U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan acknowledged on the record that his due-process rights had been violated. He remained detained. The moment is preserved (EX-529) and became the foundation of the equal-justice fight.
The habeas petition that took the due-process fight to court →He sued the Attorney General from his cell
August 2022: a petition for a writ of habeas corpus — Nichols v. Garland, 1:22-cv-02356 (D.D.C.) — filed against Attorney General Merrick Garland and DC jail leadership while he was still detained. Voluntarily dismissed that October; weeks later the criminal court ordered his release.
The dismissal notice — and the release order that followed →Officers threatening inmates — photographed
Two photographed instances of officers threatening detainees, preserved and filed (EX-260, EX-261), alongside his contemporaneous notes to fellow inmates (EX-262).
The transport complaint — signed and filed
A signed complaint documenting a transport event, JMD 21-08-16, filed while in custody (EX-173). Full USMS transport records are under FOIA request.
The medical record
PTSD diagnosis on file (EX-268; post-release diagnosis EX-005). Ketamine treatment records (EX-267). Alprazolam prescription (EX-269). Mental-health grievances and a FOIA request for complete BOP medical records are in the file (EX-007, EX-008).
Congress was turned away at the door
Members of Congress — Reps. Louie Gohmert and Marjorie Taylor Greene — were denied access to the jail holding him. It is on video (EX-266).
The first plea offer: 10 to 12 years
His account of the government's opening position, preserved as a recorded discussion in the file (EX-015) — against a final sentence of 63 months, and then a full pardon and dismissal with prejudice.
The grievance machine — 267 forms in his own hand
He papered every facility that held him: 267 grievance forms he authored sit in the public archive, drawn from a master exhibit set of 203 (EX-319 through EX-519, indexed in EX-520). 34 distinct grievance patterns are documented across facilities.
Read all 34 documented grievance patterns, with the scans →The discovery that cuts the other way
From his own discovery: officers letting protesters into the Capitol, on video (EX-217, EX-218, EX-219). FBI 302 interview reports (EX-032, EX-006). The DOJ's admitted withholding of exculpatory evidence in a related January 6 case (EX-022, EX-028). He maintains the prosecution was entrapment and lawfare; these are the exhibits that claim stands on.
The video they don't lead with
Footage on file shows him helping Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone to safety on January 6. It sits in the case file alongside 25+ character letters and seven sworn affidavits (EX-282 through EX-318).
The 10 facilities, as he lists them
His account. Official USMS transport and BOP records are under FOIA request; the list will carry document citations as they land. The file is still being built — provenance first.
Statement intake
Were you there? The archive has room for your statement.
Detainees, witnesses, family — the record grows one account at a time. Sworn or notarized statements carry the most weight; voice recordings are accepted too. Every submission lands in the public intake ledger with provenance intact.
If this chapter stopped you, it will stop someone else. Put it in front of one more person.
Chapter Four · On the record now
He didn't go quiet. He built a newsroom.
Ryan reports on his own case — and the weaponization of the justice system — as an independent investigative journalist. The latest:
They Say the Pipe Bomb Case Is Solved. I'm Still Waiting on Justice.
This Is Called Moving On
Mitch McConnell Must Retire. Immediately.
The Water Doesn't Care What They Said About You
The Kind of Man My Kids Need Me to Be
You Can Come Out the Other Side
Evidence on file
The documents that name him directly
A sample of 12 from the 187 documents that name him directly. His name runs through the whole case file — 1,074 documents, 267 grievance forms in his own hand, 34 documented grievance patterns, 10 facilities. Walk the full record →
Open all 1,074 documents →Ryan12 documents
Ryan Nichols' own paperwork — grievances, motions, letters, cell notes.
order · Jan 20, 2025
Presidential pardon of January 6 defendants (January 20, 2025)
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump granted clemency to January 6 defendants, including a full and unconditional pardon for Ryan Nichols. The case was subsequently dismissed with prejudice.
article · May 2, 2024
Press record: Ryan Nichols sentenced — 63 months + $200,000 (May 2, 2024)
Public reporting that on May 2, 2024 Ryan Nichols was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison and a $200,000 fine. Cataloged as part of the public record.
grievance_form · Apr 24, 2024
DC DOC Denial of IGP - Nichols 2/29/24 (We Have No History - T. Campbell)
DC DOC PP 4030.1 Attachment B Denial of Inmate IGP Form returning Nichols grievance dated 2/29/24 (received 3/04/24, returned 4/24/24). IGP NUMBER #20240424-654. IGP Coordinator T. Campbell checked Other: WE HAVE NO HISTORY OF THIS GRIEVANCE - directly contradicting that the prior grievance was filed. Critical evidence of the IGP process sabotage Nichols was documenting.
grievance_form · Apr 20, 2024
DC DOC Level 2 IGP Appeal to Deputy Director (4/20/24) - Ryan Nichols
DC DOC PP 4030.1 Attachment G Level 2 IGP Appeal Form filed by Ryan Nichols (DCDC# 376795, Unit C3A) dated 4/20/24. In response to Level 1 Appeal (Step 3) written 3/26/24 and not answered within 15 business days. Documents that the IGP process at DC DOC is illusory and DOC is changing process effective April 2024.
grievance_form · Apr 15, 2024
DC DOC IGP draft: Officer Brown interference with doctor visit re mask (Nichols)
DC DOC Inmate Informal Resolution Complaint Form draft by Ryan Nichols regarding Officer Brown interfering with a medical doctor visit over mask compliance. Names Doctor Andre. Complaint about Staff Treatment/Health Care categories.
grievance_form · Mar 26, 2024
DC DOC Level 1 IGP Appeal - Administrative Remedy (3/26/24) Nichols
DC DOC PP 4030.1 Attachment F Level 1 Appeal / Administrative Remedy filed by Ryan Nichols (DCDC# 376795, Unit C3A) on 3/26/24 in response to no responses on IGPs filed 2/1/24 (Step 1 Informal) and 2/29/24 (Step 2 Formal). Alleges IGP process is illusory at DC DOC: medical cancellations/denials, prescription issues, sabotage of IGP mails by staff. Notes DC DOC currently has 3 different IGP policies that contradict each other.
grievance_form · Mar 26, 2024
DC DOC Level 2 Appeal IGP# 20240321-479 - Ryan Nichols 3/26/24
DC DOC PP 4030.1 Attachment G Level 2 Appeal - Deputy Director Form filed by Ryan Nichols (DCDC# 376795, C3A) on 3/26/24, alleging DC DOC and T. Campbell intentionally subverted/sabotaged IGP process.
spreadsheet · Mar 25, 2024
Ryan Nichols Grievance Spreadsheet
Master log of every grievance filed during pretrial detention: dates, IGP numbers, responses, complaint types, and the patterns that prove the grievance process was broken.
grievance_form · Mar 19, 2024
DC DOC Level 1 Appeal 3/19/24 - Ryan Nichols copy (no DOC response)
Ryan Nichols carbon/inmate copy of the DC DOC Level 1 Appeal Administrative Remedy form he filed 3/19/24 (companion to j6s9-011 which has the K. Nickens denial filled in).
letter · Mar 4, 2024
D. Gaskins (DOC Program Manager) memo to Nichols re IGP# 20240304-073 3/4/24
Typed DC DOC memo from Program Manager D. Gaskins to Ryan Nichols (#376795) dated 3/4/2024 regarding IGP# 20240304-073, sending copies of all IGPs dating to 11/20/2023 and noting Denial of Appeal Levels 1 and 2 were within policy timeframes.
grievance_form · Feb 22, 2024
DC DOC Inmate Formal Grievance #20240304-073 - Ryan Nichols 2/22/24
DC DOC PP 4030.1 Attachment D Inmate Formal Grievance Form (Step 2) filed by Ryan Nichols 2/22/24 (stamped received 2/29/24), alleging T. Campbell sabotage of IGP process; assigned IGP# 20240304-073.
exhibit · Feb 14, 2024
Medical Notes log by Ryan Nichols (cont.) Jan-Feb 2024
Continuation of medical notes log by Ryan Nichols covering Jan 5 - Feb 14, 2024 documenting interactions with Dr. Gute regarding testosterone dosage discrepancies, levothyroxine, weight loss tracking, and grievances.
Counsel evaluating my case — start here.
I'm a pardoned January 6 defendant — federal charges dismissed with prejudice, cannot be refiled. I am now defending an active matter in Harrison County, Texas, currently pro se and seeking representation. I am not waiving counsel. The live legal issues are below, each tied to a motion I have already filed and published.
- Posture
- Active · pro se
- Venue
- Harrison County, TX
- Prior matter
- Pardoned · dismissed w/ prejudice
- Motions filed
- 11 + recusal, public
Live legal issues · with the filed motion
First Amendment / bond conditions
Speech & publication restrictions challenged as overbroad prior restraint (Packingham, Near, Davenport).
Brady & Article 39.14 discovery
Demand for bodycam, CAD, dispatch, and officer notes through criminal discovery.
Bodycam preservation & release
Emergency motion to preserve and produce the recording said to settle the church allegation.
Right to counsel — no waiver
Pro se filings do not waive counsel; appointment sought (Gideon, Argersinger, Rothgery).
Recusal
Motion to recuse, with supporting exhibits, filed in the current matter.
Protective order
Against documented online threats and the escalating rumor narrative.
Attorneys — reach me directly
If you practice criminal defense, First Amendment, or civil-rights litigation and want the full private briefing, contact me. I can send the complete packet — motions, declarations, exhibit index, and the case-specific details that aren't on this public page.
This page is public; it states only already-public facts and links to motions I have already filed. Case-specific posture and strategy are shared privately with counsel.
The full record
Everything is public. Walk it yourself.
Nothing here sits behind a paywall or a login. Every grievance, every document, every name — open, sourced, and laid out to be checked.
The case hub
Start here — the whole file, organized
Timeline
Arrest to pardon, day by day
Grievances
34 documented, with the paperwork
Documents
1,074 scans on the record
Co-detainees & witnesses
22 who corroborate the record
Officials named
Who did what, on the record
Geography
The 10 facilities he moved through
Damages
What four years of this cost
Full biography
Exhibit 288, in his words
Study this case
Built to be checked, cited, and taught.
This page and the archive behind it exist so journalists, lawyers, students, and historians can study United States v. Nichols from the primary record — court filings linked at their official source, grievance scans, transcripts, and sworn statements, each labeled for what it is (FACT / RYAN STATEMENT / NEEDS AUTHENTICATION).
How to cite this archive
Nichols, Ryan. The J6 Case Archive: United States v. Nichols, No. 1:21-cr-00117 (D.D.C.). RealRyanNichols.com. https://www.realryannichols.com/case
Cite individual documents by their own URL — every scan, filing, and grievance has a permanent page. Court records link to CourtListener/RECAP so you can verify against the official docket yourself. Related habeas matter: Nichols v. Garland, No. 1:22-cv-02356 (D.D.C.).
Case Builder
Fighting a case the public should see? He builds these.
Everything on this page — the classified evidence, the dated timeline, the people of record, the court filings linked at their official source — is a system Ryan builds for other people's cases too. Yours could look exactly like this, and be just as hard to bury.
Stand with him
He kept the receipts. Help keep them public.
Keeping this record up — the filings, the scans, the names — takes work and nerve. The best way to help: read it, and put this page in front of one more person.