Ryan Nichols

Public January 6 profile · ready to claim

Brandon Nelson

Pardoned January 6 defendant

Brandon Nelson profile photograph from NPR's January 6 archiveDocumented editorial-use image
NPR's The Capitol Charges; database photo credit: Department of Justice (all named credit exceptions excluded) Published for archive identification and reporting; reuse rights are not represented as cleared.Image source →

Brandon Nelson is a Madison, Wisconsin man who drove east with a friend on January 5, 2021, to attend a rally, and came home to face his case head-on. FACT: Brandon Nelson traveled from Madison to Washington, D.C. with his friend Abram Markofski to attend the January 6 rally (WBAY, WEAU). Inside the Capitol, prosecutors said the two walked through the building for a matter of minutes. He faced only nonviolent charges. FACT: He owned it. Nelson pleaded guilty on September 15, 2021, to a single misdemeanor, parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. FACT: On December 10, 2021, Judge John D. Bates sentenced him to 24 months of probation, $500 restitution, a $2,500 fine, and 50 hours of community service (Fox 21, CourtListener). No jail. The court saw a man who made a mistake, not a menace. Brandon Nelson completed the process and got back to his life in Wisconsin. FACT: On January 20, 2025, President Trump granted clemency covering January 6 convictions, wiping the federal conviction clean. CASE RECORD Case: 1:21-cr-344, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Arrested 5/3/21. Pleaded guilty 9/15/21 (Count 4). Sentenced 12/10/21 to 24 months probation, $500 restitution, $2,500 fine, 50 hours community service. This profile is unclaimed. If this is you, or your family, claiming it is free, forever.

The case file

On the record

Case number
21-cr-344
Court
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Disposition
Arrested 5/3; initial appearance held 5/10/21. Plea agreement entered 9/15/21 and pleaded guilty to count 4. Sentenced 12/10 to 24 months probation, $500 restitution, 50 hours of community service, and $2,500 fine.
Plea
September 15, 2021

Charges

  • Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds
  • Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds
  • Violent Entry or Disorderly Conduct
  • Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building

Sentence

24 months probation, $500 restitution, 50 hours of community service, and $2,500 fine

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Connection to United States v. Nichols

Brandon Nelson appears in the record of United States v. Nichols. The full case — timeline, people, documents — is public and free.

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