A former January 6 Capitol riot participant who was sentenced to nine months in prison has illegally entered Canada, claiming he awaits a potential presidential pardon from Donald Trump while evading his jail term.
Antony Vo, who was convicted for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, revealed to the Toronto Star that he crossed into Canada illegally in July after unsuccessful attempts to secure political asylum in several countries, including Russia, Belarus, and Vietnam.
Rather than serving his sentence that began in June, Vo found temporary refuge in Whistler, British Columbia, where he reportedly spends his time snowboarding while sheltering at a Buddhist research facility in Alberta.
Banking on a Trump pardon
“I’m 99 percent sure” of receiving a pardon, Vo told the Toronto Star, citing Trump’s previous statements about pardoning January 6 participants. However, Trump has publicly qualified his stance, noting in a CNN interview that while he’s “inclined to pardon many of the January 6 rioters,” he wouldn’t extend clemency to all participants.
“I can’t say for every single one, because a couple of them, probably they got out of control,” Trump stated.
Vo’s participation in the Capitol riot was documented on social media, where he admitted to “storming” Congress alongside his mother. He maintains they entered only after receiving police permission, writing on X: “President (Trump) asked me to be here tomorrow, so I am with my mom LOL.”
Legal implications
Vo has indicated he will resist any U.S. extradition attempts before a potential pardon. “Canada has mechanisms that prevent the removal of people without some kind of process where the person says, ‘I’m facing mistreatment in my home country, I’m a political dissident, and I’m being subject to unlawful price persecution,'” he explained.
The case adds to the ongoing legal aftermath of January 6, with more than 1,500 individuals facing federal charges connected to the riot.