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James Allen Mels

Pardoned January 6 defendant

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James Allen Mels is a Michigan man in his fifties out of the Detroit suburbs, and when the FBI came to his door he pulled out his own phone and showed them the pictures. FACT: Mels is from Michigan. Reporting at the time of his arrest placed him in Shelby Township; case summaries list Roseville. FACT: he was 56 years old when he was charged. FACT: he was arrested February 11, 2021, appeared in Detroit federal court, and was released on personal recognizance on February 22, 2021. He was never held a single day pretrial. FACT, per the FBI: Mels admitted he had been at the Capitol and showed agents images of himself inside the building on his phone. He did not delete. He did not lawyer up and go silent. He handed it over. FACT, per the FBI: he told agents he did not engage in any violence and was not aware of anyone organizing violence, and that he traveled to Washington because he believed the 2020 election had been fraudulently decided. THEIR ACCOUNT / NEEDS AUTHENTICATION: the American Gulag case summary states Mels said he entered the Capitol to read the Constitution to officers and have his voice heard. That line does not appear in the FBI statement of facts this archive reviewed, so it is logged here attributed to its source and unauthenticated. If that is your line, James, claim this page and put the receipt on it. THE LEGAL FIGHT CHARGE ONLY at the start: four counts, every one a misdemeanor. No felony. No weapon. No assault. FACT: information issued March 3, 2021. Arraigned March 5, 2021 and pleaded not guilty. FACT: amended information filed July 1, 2022. He pleaded guilty July 22, 2022. FACT: on October 28, 2022 he was sentenced to 36 months of probation including 90 days of home detention, 60 hours of community service, and $500 in restitution. No prison. FACT: on January 20, 2025, President Trump granted clemency covering the January 6 prosecutions. WHAT THIS DOES NOT PROVE: it does not undo the plea he entered. WHAT IT DOES PROVE: James Allen Mels cooperated on day one, was charged with nothing but misdemeanors, and still carried a federal case for twenty months. CASE RECORD Case 1:21-cr-184, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. DOJ Capitol Breach page: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/defendants/mels-james-allen Docket as recorded: Arrested 2/11/21. Information issued 3/3/21. Arraigned and pleaded not guilty 3/5/21. Amended information filed 7/1/22. Pleaded guilty 7/22/22. Sentenced 10/28/22 to 36 months of probation, including 90 days of home detention, 60 hours of community service, $500 in restitution. This profile is preserved from the DOJ Capitol Breach case list this site mirrored after the government scrubbed it from justice.gov. This profile is unclaimed. If this is you, or your family, claiming it is free, forever.