Clifford James Meteer

Clifford James Meteer, of Knoxville, Tennessee, who described himself as "an idiot scaling the wall," spent 31 minutes inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, with other charges dismissed; prosecutors sought 75 days in prison, citing his lack of remorse and prior criminal history. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols instead sentenced him on 4/21/2022 to 60 days of incarceration, 36 months of probation, $500 in restitution, and a $10 special assessment. Years after his Jan. 6 pardon, Meteer was separately indicted and arrested on an unrelated federal charge of illegally possessing firearms as a felon, tied to his Jan. 6 conviction; a federal judge denied his bid to have the presidential pardon applied to that separate gun case.