Judge sentences former Jan. 6 defendant for hoax threat near Obama's home

"A federal judge has sentenced a man to time served for making a hoax threat near the D.C. residence of former President Barack Obama two years ago, prompting a massive law enforcement response that included a bomb squad and sniffer dogs. Taylor Taranto, of Pasco, Wash., spent 22 months in the troubled D.C. jail facility while he waited for trial on allegations that he suggested his van was rigged with explosives. Authorities never found any such devices, though they did recover firearms and a machete."

"U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols noted that Taranto had no criminal history partly because the Justice Department had previously moved to dismiss several charges related to Taranto's participation in the siege on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. President Trump granted clemency to Taranto and virtually every Jan. 6 defendant on the first day he returned to the White House this year. But the storming of the Capitol and the Justice Department response to it continue to reverberate, especially within the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington."

A federal judge sentenced Taylor Taranto to time served after a hoax threat near the D.C. residence of Barack Obama prompted a large law enforcement response. Taranto spent 22 months in a Washington, D.C., jail awaiting trial amid allegations he suggested his van was rigged with explosives. Authorities recovered firearms and a machete but found no explosive devices. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols noted Taranto had no criminal history and that some Jan. 6-related charges had been previously moved to dismiss. President Trump granted clemency to Taranto and many Jan. 6 defendants earlier this year.

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