Two Mahopac men among those pardoned for Jan. 6 Capitol riot

WASHINGTON, D.C.—wo Mahopac men were among around 1,500 people to be pardoned or have their sentences commuted by President Donald Trump for entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Robert Ballesteros of Mahopac was sentenced in April 2022 to 36 months probation; 40 hours of community service; $500 restitution; and a $10 special assessment after pleading guilty.

In 2021, Ballesteros, then 27, pleaded guilty to “parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building,” according to reports. Ballesteros had driven to Washington D.C. to take part in the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally and followed the crowd to the U.S. Capitol, where legislators were getting ready to certify the election of Joe Biden.

Ballesteros reportedly recorded a video inside the Capitol and posted it on social media.

Fellow Mahopac resident Anthony Vuksanaj was reportedly sentenced in April 2022 to 42 days in jail; three years probation; three months home detention; a $2,000 fine; $500 restitution; a $10 special assessment; and 25 hours of community service.

Vuksanaj, then 52, was reportedly identified as a participant in the riot after being arrested along with two other Mahopac residents for allegedly taking part in a knifepoint robbery in Mount Vernon. According to a federal complaint, officers seized Vuksanaj’s mobile device during the booking, which was used to place him inside the Capitol on Jan. 6. In its arrest warrant, the FBI included video screenshots showing a man identified as Vuksanaj inside the building.

The pardons were issued on Jan. 20, within hours of Trump’s inauguration. A proclamation announcing the pardons said the move “ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.”

A handful of participants in the riot had their sentences commuted instead of receiving a full pardon, as Trump said his staff would conduct an additional investigation regarding their specific cases.