WASHINGTON − Individuals held as federal prisoners for their involvement in the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, started to be released last night after President Donald Trump granted pardons on Monday to nearly 1,600 individuals linked to the riot.

Additionally, Trump commuted the sentences of 14 offenders. Among them was Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers militia, who had been sentenced to 18 years in prison, one of the longest sentences related to the event. Rhodes was released from a federal facility in Cumberland, Maryland, on Tuesday morning.

Family members of Enrique Tarrio, the past leader of the Proud Boys who was handed the longest sentence of 22 years for seditious conspiracy, expressed their anticipation of his release on Tuesday.

“These individuals have suffered greatly,” Trump remarked after returning to the Oval Office. “What has been done to them is simply unacceptable.”

Although neither Rhodes nor Tarrio entered the Capitol on January 6, they were found guilty of seditious conspiracy for their involvement in planning the assault.

According to the Justice Department, around 1,600 individuals faced charges related to the riot, which resulted in injuries to 140 police officers and temporarily impeded Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Approximately 1,270 people were convicted of crimes connected to the insurrection, with over 1,000 accepting plea deals and 260 convicted after trials. Among those who pleaded guilty, 327 accepted felony charges while 682 were charged with misdemeanors.

About 600 defendants faced charges for assaulting, resisting, or obstructing law enforcement. From those who admitted guilt, 172 accepted charges for assault on law enforcement, 130 acknowledged obstructing law enforcement during the riot, and 69 admitted to assaulting law enforcement with a dangerous weapon.

The group receiving clemency included 14 individuals who had their sentences commuted, including key members from two far-right militia factions, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.

Dominic Pezzola, a member of the Proud Boys credited with being the first to smash a window on the Senate side of the Capitol, which allowed others to enter, had received a sentence of 10 years.

Contributing: Reuters