DOJ refuses to return $2,000 pardoned Capitol rioter, citing final conviction

A Capitol Hill rioter, Felicia Konold, who was pardoned by President Trump, has been refused payment of $2,000 by the Department of Justice.

Konold, who pleaded guilty to obstructing law enforcement during January 6, 2021 Capitol riots, made $2,000 restitution payment.

Konold, an Arizona native, joined the Proud Boys, a group that staged protests on January 6 at Capitol, breaching the police barricades.

She spent 45 days of imprisonment following her conviction.

Now, the DOJ is refusing $2,000 in what it describes as her conviction being final when she received President Trump’s pardon and a court hasn’t overturned the conviction.

So far, the D.C. appeals court is reviewing the arguments filed by multiple defendants.

The DOJ draws a line between two groups of rioters.

Those with pending appeals at the pardon time who are allowed to drop victim, while Konold’s conviction was already completed.

For context, the Trump administration set up a now-defunct fund valued at $1.776 billion to compensate for what it calls the January 6 victims of DOJ ‘weaponised prosecutions.”