- Net worth
- Unknown
- Crimes
- january 6, weapons, obstruction, other
- Convicted of
- Jan. 6: assaulting officers, civil disorder, restricted grounds (indictment dismissed); Michigan: attempted home invasion, weapons offenses, aggravated stalking (NGRI on 2023 charges)
- Original sentence
- Jan. 6 case dismissed Jan. 21, 2025; prior Michigan sentences (2022 home invasion; 2023 stalking case NGRI)
- Time served
- N/A (federal case dismissed before trial)
Background
Brien Arin Burton faced federal Capitol riot charges in Washington, D.C., while simultaneously dealing with serious felony cases in Midland County, Michigan. Reporting from ABC12 and Our Midland documented his mental health history and family disputes alongside his Jan. 6 prosecution.
The Case
Federal prosecutors charged Burton in October 2024 with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, civil disorder, and related misdemeanors, alleging he repeatedly charged police lines on the Capitol West Plaza. Before that indictment, Michigan courts convicted him in 2022 of attempted home invasion, reckless weapons use, and felonious assault, sentencing him to 11 months with credit for time served and five years of probation.
When Trump's January 2025 pardon issued, Burton was reportedly in Midland County Jail on 2023 felony counts of aggravated stalking and using a computer to commit a crime tied to family conflicts. His attorney told reporters the case involved disputes with siblings. After forensic evaluation, a court found him not guilty by reason of insanity on the stalking charges roughly five years after January 6 and ordered inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment. The federal Jan. 6 case was dismissed on Jan. 21, 2025, pursuant to the government's motion after the pardon. His conduct at the Capitol, if proved, would have contributed to violence against officers and disruption of Congress's electoral count.
The Pardon
On January 20, 2025, President Trump granted Burton a full pardon under a proclamation covering certain offenses relating to the events at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The pending federal indictment was dismissed the following day.
Sources
- The Jan. 6 Pardons: Clemency recipients and subsequent charges (Lawfare compiled database)
- President Trump's Proclamation Granting Pardons and Commutations for Jan. 6 Offenses (DOJ)
- United States v. Burton (CourtListener)
- Brien Burton federal indictment (DocumentCloud)
- Burton 2022 Michigan conviction record (DocumentCloud)
- Insurrectionist pleads NGRI in Midland stalking case (Our Midland)
- Midland J6er pardoned; local charges dropped after insanity plea (ABC12)