Capitol riot defendants and supporters of President Donald Trump are working to determine how they might benefit from a newly established $1.776 billion compensation fund designed for Americans who believe they suffered from political targeting.
The former leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, who received a 22-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol incident, stated he intends to submit an application to the fund. He estimates he might receive between $2 and $5 million.
“I’m not greedy,” Tarrio stated. “But my life was all fucked up because of this.”
More than 1,500 individuals connected to January 6 received presidential pardons last year from Trump. Many are now tallying expenses related to their prosecutions, incarceration periods, and lost business opportunities as they seek reimbursement for what they consider misconduct by the Justice Department during former President Joe Biden’s tenure.
An attorney named Peter Ticktin, who represents over 400 January 6 defendants, expressed doubt about whether the fund contains sufficient resources.
“People lost multi-million dollar businesses while they were locked up,” he explained. “I don’t think the DOJ is ready for us yet.”
Trump also indicated the fund might be inadequate in size. “You’re talking about peanuts,” he remarked to reporters at Joint Base Andrews. “It destroyed the lives of many, many people.”
Both Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have raised concerns about the fund’s legal standing, along with a settlement provision that permanently prevents the IRS from conducting audits of previous tax filings by Trump, his family members, and his companies.
On Wednesday, two law enforcement officers who protected the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 events initiated legal action aimed at stopping the compensation program, characterizing it as a “taxpayer-funded slush fund” benefiting Trump supporters who participated in violent activities.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche informed congressional members on Tuesday that individuals who committed assaults against police officers on January 6 would remain eligible for compensation.
Tarrio believes those who attacked law enforcement officers should receive funding.
“The Justice Department overprosecuted for political gain,” he argued. “So everyone deserves to get money.”
Democratic Representatives Jamie Raskin and Richard E. Neal sent a letter on Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Blanche, and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano, who helped negotiate the settlement. They inquired about potential limits on individual payments and what information would be made available to the public.
“Never in American history has a President pursued corruption this brazenly or on such a colossal scale,” they stated in their correspondence.
Delaware’s Democratic Senator Chris Coons announced Wednesday his intention to oppose the fund through amendments to spending legislation, though he recognized the matter might require separate resolution.
Ticktin, the attorney for January 6 cases, plans to submit hundreds of applications once the Justice Department establishes the application procedures and the attorney general names the five-person panel that will oversee the fund. He mentioned suggesting this concept to Trump, his former high school classmate, in a March email, but remains uncertain whether that communication influenced the fund’s establishment.
Several January 6 defendants expressed approval that the Justice Department has adopted terminology they have consistently used — such as “lawfare,” “weaponization” and “victims” — and view the fund as compensation for years of perceived unfair treatment.
“Now liberals wanna cry about righting the wrong, too bad,” posted Jennie Carso-Heinl, who entered a guilty plea for parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, on social media platform X. “Justice is coming.”
One Trump associate has already submitted an official request: Michael Caputo, a former administration official, requested $2.7 million in “restitution” from Blanche regarding investigations conducted by the Biden administration and special counsel Robert Mueller.
Several Democrats have suggested they might also apply, contending that Trump’s Justice Department has initiated weak political cases against them. Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday that the fund could provide compensation to politicians from both parties.
Former FBI Director James Comey, who has faced two indictments since Trump’s second term began, mentioned on CNN that he has thought about applying.
“It’s to compensate people who’ve been targeted by the Justice Department for, they say, personal, political or ideological reasons,” Comey explained. “So I’m guessing I’ll be in line.”
However, some Trump supporters believe the fund may be insufficient.
Barry Ramey, a Proud Boys affiliate who was convicted of assaulting police officers, expressed uncertainty about applying because accepting compensation might harm his legal case against the Bureau of Prisons.
“My commitment to justice is not about the money,” he stated. “I want to show they acted illegally.”
However, he indicated that securing $2 million might change his perspective.
