Jan. 6 rioter Peter Schwartz re-arrested in Texas on federal gun charge

Peter Schwartz, pardoned by Trump after a 14-year Jan. 6 sentence, was arrested in Corpus Christi after allegedly pulling a gun on a beachgoer and carrying cocaine.

Trump-pardoned Jan. 6 rioter back behind bars after Texas beach incident

Peter Schwartz, 53, the Jan. 6 defendant who received the longest prison sentence handed down in connection with the Capitol riot, has been arrested again — this time in Corpus Christi, Texas — on a federal charge of illegal firearms possession, Law & Crime reports.

Schwartz faces one count of possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a felony, according to federal court records. The Corpus Christi Police Department also booked him on charges of driving with a suspended license, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

From 14-year sentence to presidential pardon

In December 2022, Schwartz was convicted on nine of eleven counts stemming from his role in the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol. He was among the first rioters to be found guilty of attacking law enforcement officers with a chemical irritant and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. President Trump pardoned him in January 2025, and a federal district judge in Washington, D.C. dismissed his case in March 2025.

As of Tuesday, a federal magistrate judge has ordered Schwartz held without bail pending trial on the new charge.

Beach incident on July 14

The latest legal troubles began on the evening of July 14, when Corpus Christi police received a 911 call reporting a traffic hazard near Bob Hall Pier. According to a federal criminal complaint filed by a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent, the caller reported that a driver was doing donuts around the caller's parked truck on the beach.

"The 911 caller was able to describe the truck as a silver Chevrolet truck with chrome wheels, driven by a white male with tattoos," the complaint states. The caller told dispatchers the driver had pulled a gun on him after being approached. The truck was further identified by a flaming skull sticker on the rear windshield and a female passenger in the front seat.

Authorities allege Schwartz was behind the wheel.

Later that same night, U.S. park rangers at the Padre Island National Seashore spotted the pickup and pulled it over in response to a BOLO — a "be on the lookout" request — from local police. Both occupants refused to identify themselves after being told they were detained, according to the charging document.

Rangers noted that Schwartz's driver's license was suspended due to DUI refusals. The complaint further states he "had a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his breath, had slurred speech, and was very argumentative" during the stop.

Cocaine, loaded pistols, and an open beer

A search of the truck turned up an open container of Miller Lite, a small bag of suspected cocaine, two loaded pistols, and drug paraphernalia — including a small mirror and three straws with suspected cocaine residue — according to the charging document.

The ATF agent subsequently located a Facebook profile purportedly belonging to Schwartz, which showed him posing with firearms on a beach within the previous two months. In the photos, Schwartz stands in front of the same pickup truck stopped by the rangers, wearing a shirt reading "stay strapped or get clapped" and depicting a gun.

The complaint details a pattern of firearm-related social media activity. "Within the last two months Schwartz has had other photos of himself in front of the truck with a pistol in his hand, posted on June 2, 2026, and June 27, 2026, along with a photo of himself at Walmart looking at ammunition posted on June 29, 2026," the document states. The ATF agent noted that the most recent photo, posted earlier in September, showed a holstered pistol different from the two weapons recovered at the time of his arrest.

Detained pending trial

Schwartz, described in court records as a traveling welder from Kentucky, was arrested on September 9. On September 15, U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie Hampton found probable cause to keep him detained, citing the weight of the evidence, his lack of a stable residence, the absence of steady employment, and other factors.

Source: Law & Crime