Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter who filmed Ashli Babbitt's shooting seeks forfeited funds

• Given that his conviction was vacated, Sullivan sought to recover the money he turned over as part of his sentence.

Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth denied Sullivan's request Tuesday and ordered the government not to give him the funds unless Congress goes through an appropriation process.

• "Mr. Sullivan callously used the riots as an opportunity for personal profit, manipulating other rioters for his own gain," the judge wrote. "Under the pretense of 'journalism,' he recorded the day's events, intending to sell the footage for profit."
• The judge pointed out in his ruling that Sullivan admitted his ploy was to make money and told another rioter on camera: "I brought my megaphone to instigate s--t ... Trust me when I say my footage is worth like ... millions of dollars."
• Lamberth added that Sullivan "cynically and falsely portrayed himself as a journalist not only to legitimize his cruel profiteering—at the expense of the police, his fellow rioters, and his country—but also in hopes of evading legal accountability for his actions."

• The funds are being held in a deposit account in the U.S. Treasury.

Context: Sullivan was sentenced to six years in prison last year before his conviction was vacated while it was pending appeal.

• Sullivan, who was wearing a ballistic vest and gas mask when he joined rioters storming the Capitol, was heard on video yelling expletives, including "we're about to burn this s--t down!," per court documents.

Go deeper: Utah man who filmed Ashli Babbitt's shooting sentenced over Jan. 6 riot