Pardoned January 6 defendant Taylor Taranto faces new legal trouble in DC

A Jan. 6 defendant who was pardoned by President Donald Trump has found himself in legal trouble again after recently returning to the Washington, D.C., area and wandering into the district of Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., according to a report.

Taylor Taranto was previously convicted of threats made against Raskin and former President Barack Obama.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who convicted Taranto in a bench trial earlier this year of illegally possessing weapons and ammunition in his van when he was arrested near Obama’s home in the nation’s capital in 2023, ordered Taranto during a court hearing Thursday to immediately return to his home in Washington state, according to Politico. The outlet quoted Nichols as saying he would consider a request from prosecutors to jail Taranto.

During the hearing, Taranto’s probation officer told the judge that the man was seen by local police near Raskin’s home in Takoma Park, Maryland, on Tuesday morning, Axios reported. The officer said Taranto was “living in his van” while in Washington and broadcasting on Rumble as a “freelance journalist investigating major crimes,” according to the outlet.

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Taylor Taranto, pictured here circled in yellow, is seen on January 6, 2021. (U.S. Department of Justice)

Raskin’s office did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Nichols also convicted Taranto earlier this year for recording himself threatening to bomb a government building in Maryland. Taranto made headlines in 2023 when he entered a Maryland elementary school while live-streaming apparent threats against Raskin, who is from the state, Politico reported.

“In a live stream, where Taranto was answering questions from his Internet audience, he said that he specifically chose the elementary school because of its proximity to Congressman (Jamie) Raskin’s house and that he targeted Raskin because ‘he’s one of those people that hates the January 6th people, or more like the Trump supporters, and it’s kind of like sending a shockwave through him because I didn’t do anything wrong, and he probably freaks out and says, ‘Well.’ he’s stalking me,” prosecutors said at the time.

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Taylor Taranto, shown here on January 6, 2021, circled in yellow, was convicted in a bench trial earlier this year. (Department of Justice)

Assistant U.S. Attorney Travis Wolf, during a closed-door hearing, argued that Taranto’s return to the Washington, D.C., area and his resumption of live streaming and erratic behavior raise concerns that he is “on a path” toward the same behavior that led to criminal charges against him in 2023, according to Politico.

Wolf allegedly described mental health issues and alleged violations of Taranto’s supervised release conditions.

Tarente’s attorney requested more time to review elements of the case and requested that Tarente be allowed to return home to Washington state to spend time with her family over the holidays, Politico added.

Taranto vowed to return to Washington state at noon Friday, and Nichols said he would rule on the government’s detention request later, according to Politico.

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, December 2, 2025, in Washington, DC (Julia Démarée Nikhinson/AP)

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The outlet added that Nichols asked Tarente to attend a probation hearing in Washington state on Dec. 10 and said he was “absolutely prepared” to take Tarente into custody if any of his orders were violated.

Fox News’ Louis Casiano, David Spunt and Associated Press contributed to this report.