Snowboarding Jan. 6 rioter still in B.C. custody after Trump pardon

VANCOUVER — An American man recently found guilty of rioting at the U.S. Capitol four years ago remains in immigration custody in British Columbia, even after being given a presidential pardon for his actions.

But the lawyer for 32-year-old Anthony Vo says his client plans to drop his asylum claim in Canada and he expects to be returned to the United States, possibly as early as this week.

Damilola Asuni says Vo is very excited and was happy to hear that he and others convicted over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack had been given a pardon by U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday.

The Canada Border Services Agency arrested Vo earlier this month in B.C., saying he was a fugitive from justice and there was no record of him entering the country.

The agency said it had no record of him entering the country, while Asuni says he doesn’t know how his client came into Canada.

Vo, who was seen on CBC footage snowboarding at the ski resort in Whistler, B.C., said on social media earlier this month that he was happy that the Canadian government had accepted his basis for an asylum claim.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Vo was convicted last June of disorderly conduct and other offences for his role in the attack on the Capitol, but that he left for Canada instead of reporting to prison.

Trump issued a sweeping pardon to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people criminally charged with participating in the 2021 attack.

It came just hours after Trump’s return to the White House on Monday.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2025.