James Robert Elliott
James Robert Elliott, who is often called “Jim Bob” is a former tow truck driver from Aurora, Illinois. He was born on July 17th, 1997, but little is known about his early life. James is married and has two small children. James was frustrated about the way things were going in the United States, and he wanted to be able to talk about the issues facing the country with like-minded individuals. He joined the Proud Boys because he wanted to be part of a group that shared his beliefs. James knew President Trump would be speaking in Washington, D.C. and he wanted to hear the speech. He only wore all black and the helmet to protect himself and others from attacks from Antifa. He never had any plan to become violent. James was 23 years old at the time he attended the rally in D.C.
On January 5th, 2021, James drove to Washington D.C. Once there, he purchased a ballistic vest and dressed in all black. James carried a radio and an American flag attached to a wooden pole. He met up with other members of the Proud Boys at the Washington Monument. They marched as a group toward the Capitol Building.
Around 1:40 pm, James was at the West Front when he turned to those behind him and yelled “Patriots, what is your occupation?” (a reference to the movie 300 that would be used as his ‘war cry’). Along with the crowd, he chanted “Ah-ooh! Ah-ooh! Ah-ooh!” and waved the flagpole around.
A few minutes later, James swung the flagpole at police officers who were trying to replace barriers to restrain the crowd. He moved the flagpole forward into a line of police officers, striking one. James moved to the scaffolding set up for the inauguration and repeated his ‘war cry’. The police were spraying chemicals into the air, preventing James from getting through the scaffolding. He left the area.
On December 15, 2021, James was indicted on six counts, five of which were felonies. The DOJ “stacks” charges such as trespassing, disorderly conduct, etc and then adds a felony. With that felony, they upgrade the misdemeanors to felonies, allowing them to recommend maximum sentencing.
James was arrested in Batavia, Illinois on December 20, 2021. He appeared via telephone for a hearing on January 6, 2022, where he entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ to all charges. James was released on personal recognizance but had restrictions such as being home from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and agreeing to electronic monitoring.
On November 2, 2022, James entered into a plea agreement, waived a trial by jury, and changed his plea to ‘guilty’ on the count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. He wrote a letter to U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth to ask for leniency. James stated in his letter that “I have since left the Proud Boys and I’m doing my best to continue to move my life in a positive direction after being arrested. It was NEVER my intention to hurt anyone and the fact that I may have done just that in the heat of the moment brings no end of shame and regret to me”.
James Welch, James’ public defender, said that James was naïve and “frustrated and fed up with what was happening in America”. Welch went on to say that James went to Washington to hear the President, not to try to overthrow the government or hurt anyone.
On June 22, 2023, James was sentenced to 37 months of incarceration followed by two years of probation for his felony conviction. He was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. James self-surrendered to begin his period of incarceration.
His expected release date is March 10, 2026. Please keep his family in your prayers; James was the sole support of his wife, children and other family members.
You can write to James at:
James Elliott
#01219-506 FCI Ashland
Federal Correctional Institution P.O. Box 6001
Ashland, KY, 41105
Please note: Prisoner mail is reviewed by guards. Please keep messages of encouragement to a general and/or religious nature. For example, do not mention the events of Jan. 6th or other current events under criminal investigation
