A Citrus Heights man, once pardoned by former President Donald Trump for his participation in the January 6 insurrection, now faces up to 20 years in prison after a federal jury convicted him of receiving child pornography. Identified as Kyle Travis Colton, 37, the Sacramento County resident was found guilty in a case brought forward by Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez, as reported by KCRA.
During the trial, it came to light that between July 2022 and December 2023, Colton downloaded "copious" images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Found found on his computer desktop, and with several bookmarks to known child pornography sites, these disturbing revelations stand in stark contrast to the prior leniency received, documented by both KCRA and CBS News Sacramento.
Colton had previously entered a guilty plea for disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building in connection with the January 6th Capitol riot. Having been issued a pardon by Trump just days before his then-scheduled sentencing, Colton encountered the FBI again, this time with evidence obtained from his home, "shows Colton refusing to leave the Rotunda, as well as being present in a line of rioters who were engaging with law enforcement," according to court documents detailed by the FBI and cited by KCRA.
The verdict now paves the way for Colton's sentencing set for October 27, with the potential for a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine noted by CBS News Sacramento. This conviction marks yet another chapter in the post-January 6 sagas that juxtapose the pardons with the very tenets of justice, showing that freedom once granted is not a shield against future allegations, or even convictions, that may shatter the veneer of clemency once bestowed.
