3 with Centre County ties receive Jan. 6 pardon from President Trump. ‘We are thrilled’
Three people with Centre County ties appear to have been pardoned Monday for their actions in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot under a sweeping order from President Donald Trump just hours after he returned to the White House.
Terry Allen, 66, of Spring Mills; former downtown State College business owner Julian Khater, 35; and Brian Gundersen, 30, formerly of State College, were seemingly among the more than 1,500 people on the receiving end of the president’s clemency powers.
Trump cast the rioters as “hostages” when he signed the executive order that nullified the massive prosecution of the unprecedented assault. Those found guilty of Jan. 6 crimes were granted “full, complete and unconditional” pardons.
Allen was released from prison Monday night, one of his defense lawyers told the Centre Daily Times. He was convicted of assault after a two-day bench trial and was sentenced in November to two years in prison.
Defense lawyer Nicole Cubbage said Tuesday the pardons were a “wonderful thing.” She also said she was not immediately able to speak with Allen directly.
“We are thrilled to know that President Trump has rectified what we think was an awful abuse of power by the Justice Department and the Biden administration,” Cubbage said.
Messages left with defense lawyers for Khater and Gundersen were not immediately returned Tuesday.
Khater, the former owner of Frutta Bowls, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced in January 2023 to six years, eight months in prison. It was unclear Tuesday if he was released. He’s been incarcerated at a federal prison in Connecticut.
Alongside Trump, Khater remains a defendant in a lawsuit brought by the longtime partner of U.S. Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick. Khater deployed a chemical spray at Sicknick from close range and he died the day after the riot.
A federal judge dismissed Sandra Garza’s wrongful death claim, but allowed her claim of to violate civil rights to move forward. She is seeking $10 million in damages.
Gundersen was found guilty at the end of a bench trial of obstruction and assaulting a law enforcement officer, though his obstruction conviction was overturned in October by a federal appeals court.
He was originally sentenced in July 2023 to 1 1/2 years in prison, but was released in April. His resentencing had been scheduled for Jan. 29.
A pardon is neither a clean slate nor does it signify innocence. Both the conviction and pardon would appear on their records. A pardon, however, can restore rights affected by convictions such as the right to vote or owning a firearm.