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Matthew Thomas Purse

Pardoned January 6 defendant

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Matthew Thomas Purse is a California man whose January 6, 2021 case has sat, largely unresolved in the public record, for years. Here is what the record shows. Federal prosecutors say Purse went to the Capitol on January 6 wearing gear marked "PRESS." Prosecutors alleged he was not credentialed media and used the markings to move through the crowd. He was charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly conduct, and parading at the Capitol. His account: he pleaded not guilty at his initial appearance and the case proceeded through pretrial stages in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Beyond that, the public record available to us does not show a final disposition, and we are not going to invent one. Needs authentication: whether the case ended in plea, trial, or dismissal, and on what date. The clemency backdrop matters here regardless of the specific outcome. On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued a blanket clemency order covering January 6 defendants. Any remaining exposure tied to the Capitol charges against Purse would fall under that order. That is a documented inference from the scope of the order, not a confirmed individual pardon record for this case, and we label it that way on purpose. What this does not prove: it does not prove Purse assaulted any officer or destroyed property. The charges on file are restricted-grounds and disorderly-conduct counts, not violence counts. What this does prove: federal charges were filed, an initial not-guilty plea was entered, and the case moved through the D.C. federal court system alongside more than a thousand others from that day. We don't know Matthew Purse's occupation, his family, or his service. Nobody has come forward with that story yet. If that changes, this profile changes with it. THE CASE RECORD Name: Matthew Thomas Purse Location: California Case: 1:21-mj-475, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Charges: Entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly conduct; parading at the Capitol Plea: Not guilty entered at initial appearance Clemency: Falls within the scope of the January 20, 2025 presidential clemency order This profile is unclaimed. If this is you, or your family, claiming it is free, forever.