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James McNamara

Pardoned January 6 defendant

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James McNamara is a Chicago plumber. Sixty-one years old when he pleaded guilty. A tradesman from the city of trades. He is one of the older January 6 defendants in this archive, and one of the very few who walked into the FBI with his attorney and sat for an in person interview instead of running. ## The legal fight Before the FBI knew his name, they called him AFO-471 and the internet called him a hashtag. He was arrested on November 29, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois, nearly two years after January 6, 2021. James McNamara was charged with ONE count: assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers under 18 U.S.C. 111. He pleaded guilty to it. On August 11, 2023, the court sentenced him to 12 months of incarceration, 24 months of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and $2,000 in restitution. ## Clemency On January 20, 2025, James McNamara received a full pardon under the presidential proclamation covering January 6 convictions. ## What the record shows FACT: James McNamara of Chicago was charged with one count and convicted of one count. There was no conspiracy charge, no weapons charge, no seditious conspiracy count. FACT: per the charging record, McNamara and his attorney met with the FBI in person and McNamara's identity was confirmed in that interview. He did not hide. DOCUMENTED INFERENCE: he served a 12 month sentence and was pardoned roughly 17 months after that sentence was imposed. ## What this does not prove A 61 year old union trade worker with a plea in a federal case is still a 61 year old man who got up and went to work for four decades. A docket does not describe a life. It describes one day and the four years the government spent on it. ## Case record - Case: 1:22-mj-258, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia - Complaint filed: November 28, 2022 - Arrest: November 29, 2022, Chicago, Illinois - Plea: Guilty, one count, 18 U.S.C. 111 - Sentence: 12 months incarceration, 24 months supervised release, $2,000 restitution, August 11, 2023 - Clemency: Full pardon, January 20, 2025 This profile is unclaimed. If this is you, or your family, claiming it is free, forever.