"Good Things Are Happening for Us" Jan. 6 Rioters Eye $1.8 Billion Fund as Payout Bid Gains Ground

WASHINGTON, D.C. — While legal challenges continue to pile up, some of the people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 are already positioning themselves for a potential payday worth billions of dollars.

David Johnston, a former South Carolina attorney who admitted entering the building during the chaos, has started helping fellow rioters prepare paperwork seeking compensation. His arrangement calls for a 10% share of successful awards, with earnings capped at $5,000 per recipient.

"I think good things are happening for us," Johnston said in a social media video, reported by the Associated Press.

Hundreds convicted after the riot later received pardons from President Donald Trump. Many are now hoping to qualify for money from the roughly $1.776 billion Anti Weaponization Fund created through a settlement tied to Trump's lawsuit over leaked tax records.

Momentum among potential applicants has remained strong despite growing resistance from Republicans, Democrats, former judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers. A federal judge recently froze additional steps connected to distribution while multiple cases move through the courts.

Jason Riddle, a New Hampshire military veteran who served time after pleading guilty to offenses tied to the riot, wants no part of the effort. Receiving taxpayer money for his actions would be wrong, he said.

Pamela Hemphill, an Oregon woman who declined a pardon, has taken the opposite approach. Her submission seeks $5 million while arguing false election claims played a major role in bringing crowds to Washington.

Eligibility requirements have not been finalized. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said future commissioners will determine who qualifies and how requests should be evaluated.

Former prosecutors, retired judges, advocacy groups, and Capitol police officers have filed separate challenges aimed at shutting down the initiative. Their argument centers on whether people convicted in connection with the riot should receive taxpayer funded payments.

No awards have been approved. No commissioners have been named.

For now, billions of dollars remain out of reach while competing sides battle over whether the program survives long enough for anyone to collect a check.