Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 35
- Location
- Fort Worth, Texas
- Charges
- Civil Disorder (2 counts); Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Assaulting, Resisting or Impeding Certain Officers; Assaulting, Resisting or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly Conduct in Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
A witness contacted the FBI to report that a publicly available facial recognition software could be used to identify an individual wanted over involvement on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court documents. The software reportedly identified a YouTube Channel called “CliffCares,” which was associated with the Facebook business page of Cliff's Mobile Motorcycle Tires. That business page included a photo of one of its clients, a police officer that the FBI subsequently contacted. That officer then helped FBI agents identify the owner of the business as Thomas "Cliff" Ballard, the same man who allegedly showed up via the facial recognition software. Footage from Jan. 6 also allegedly shows Ballard sporting a hat promoting Infowars, a far-right conspiracy news outlet owned by radio host Alex Jones. In the footage, Ballard is allegedly seen confronting and assaulting police officers on multiple occasions. According to the FBI, Ballard can be seen using a black police baton assaulting officers, who are trying to defend the Lower West Terrace archway of the U.S. Capitol. He can also be seen throwing a tabletop at them, court documents indicate.
Case History
Ballard pleaded Guilty to one charge: Assaulting, Resisting or Impeding Certain Officers Using a Dangerous Weapon. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 12/13/2023 to 54 months of incarceration with credit for time served; 3 years of supervised release; special assessment of $100; Restitution in the amount of $2,000; 240 hours of community service. Ballard received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.