INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A Hoosier convicted for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot is still being detained in Canada, despite a pardon from President Donald Trump. 

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia filed a motion to dismiss charges against Antony Vo, this week, citing President Trump’s sweeping pardon to all January 6 defendants. 

Vo was a student at IU Bloomington when he joined the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. that turned into a riot at the U.S. Capitol. A federal judge ordered Vo to serve nine months in prison after he was convicted on charges for nonviolent offenses. 

Claiming his prosecution was politically motivated, Vo refused to report to prison.

Instead, he escaped to Canada last year to seek asylum. After spending more than six months going through the refugee process, the Canada Border Services Agency arrested Vo on Jan. 6, 2025 (the four-year anniversary of the Capitol attack), telling News 8 there was no record of him entering the country legally. 

Robert Tibbo, the attorney representing Vo in Canada, told News 8 that Canada’s minister of public safety has advised immigration officials that Vo was not actually pardoned for his Jan. 6 convictions. 

“It’s that excuse that’s being used in part to detain him,” Tibbo said, stating Vo’s detainment is “unlawful.”

If Vo rescinds his refugee application, Canadian authorities will most likely send him back to the U.S., according to Tibbo. 

So, why not stop the refugee process and return home? 

President Trump’s pardon covers “offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.” This month, federal prosecutors filed a new charge against Vo for failure to surrender. It’s not clear if the pardon covers the latest charge, though Tibbo believes it will be dismissed. So, Vo is waiting until it’s certain he won’t face arrest before attempting a return to the U.S. 

Even before receiving a pardon from President Trump, Vo was outspoken in his belief the Jan. 6 prosecutions were “politicized and corrupted.” News 8 was the first to interview Vo about his prosecution, but he went on to speak to reporters for the New York Times and international outlets in Canada.

“Whenever one puts themselves in the public spotlight as Antony has done, you can become an easier target, and I think that’s a reality,” Tibbo said. “I’ve had American clients in the past, and it was a similar situation.”

Tibbo previously represented whistleblower Edward Snowden. 

“But I think Antony’s result in the end is going to be a very positive one,” Tibbo said. 

Now, despite having a pardon in the U.S., Vo is still detained in Canada with a hearing on his refugee status planned on Wednesday. 

Antony’s mother, Annie Vo, was with her son on Jan. 6, 2021, and also faced charges for the Capitol riot. A judge dismissed Annie’s charges on Tuesday, citing the President’s pardon. 

Since escaping his prison sentence in the U.S., Vo has come to believe a government conspiracy caused the chaos during the certification of the 2020 presidential vote. He has called for members of the Jan. 6 committee to be imprisoned and said the actions of U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presided over his case and others, amounts to treason.

The Indiana Pacers have been one of the best teams across the NBA of late, putting themselves right back into contention within the Eastern Conference standings. After a slow start to the year, Indiana has finally looked like the team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago.

As we approach the upcoming trade deadline, the Pacers are primed to make a massive addition to their roster. Indiana wants to push itself forward even more and a big trade could help that fact.

However, the front office also needs to think about the future of the franchise and they have one big question hanging over them. That would be the future of center Myles Turner, who can become a free agent at the end of the season.

Due to this, there has been some speculation about what the team should do with Turner. Indiana would love to retain him this summer but once he hits free agency, there is no guarantee that a return will happen.

And now we have some reporting that Turner could be available for a trade.

NBA insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic has reported that he has heard some chatter regarding the chance of Indiana moving Turner. Buha addressed this during a segment on his YouTube channel.

If the Pacers were to trade Turner, it would leave a sizable hole in the rotation but it would help ensure that he doesn’t leave for nothing. Turner has been a cornerstone for this Pacers team since he came up and losing him would hurt them for the remainder of the season.

But long-term, moving Turner could be in the best interest of this franchise. Opposing teams will likely go hard after Turner on the open market and oftentimes, money talks during free agency.

This reporting from Buha also comes after news that Indiana could be reluctant to pay Turner what it may take this offseason. So the timing is certainly interesting but when there is smoke, there is often fire.

Read more: Pacers Reportedly Reluctant to Pay Myles Turner in Free Agency

It remains to be seen if the Pacers will move Turner before the trade deadline or if they will try to go for it this season. If they can get back a strong return, it would help ease moving Turner, if the front office goes that route.

More Pacers News:

Pacers Luxury Tax Concerns Could Impact Trade Deadline Plans: Report

Pacers Could Land $125M Forward Before Trade Deadline

Pacers Predicted to Land $20M Center in Blockbuster Deal

For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.