Trump pardoned him for Jan. 6. Now he's accused of sexual assault

Max Reinhart, The Detroit News on Nov 6, 2026

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DETROIT — A Lapeer County massage therapist recently accused of sexually assaulting a client was previously pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

On Nov. 6, authorities in Oakland County said they are investigating additional complaints of sexual misconduct against Nathan Thornsberry, a 44-year-old former Marine from North Branch, who allegedly penned a book about his role in the siege.

Jan. 6 allegations

According to a 2024 criminal complaint filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., Thornsberry was part of a group of people who fought police officers during the attack.

Dressed in a black U.S. Marines jacket, a Trump 2020 shirt and wearing black gloves that appear to have reinforced knuckles, Thornsberry repeatedly yelled "Bring it!" as he tried to push a bike rack into the row of law enforcement personnel during a confrontation on the lower west terrace, according to the court filing.

The complaint also included a screengrab from a video interview Thornsberry gave with a "self-professed First Amendment auditor" in which he allegedly identified himself by name, said he was from Michigan and detailed his part in the siege.

“I got right up in the front in the middle here. They came on it pretty hard push back so we linked arms and just started pushing," he said in the interview, according to court records. "I stayed up there for about four different pushes, got blasted over and over and over."

Thornsberry was charged with six offenses: entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly or disruptive conduct; physical violence; obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.

He could have spent 10 years or longer in federal prison if convicted, but he was pardoned the following year.

Making good on a campaign promise, on Jan. 20, 2025, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the Capitol attack, while commuting the sentences of 14 others.

The next day, a federal court judge in Washington, D.C., granted the government's motion to dismiss the case against Thornsberry.

Authorities said Thornsberry also penned a self-published 2023 book, “January 6th Redux: A Patriot’s Story,” written under the pseudonym Nathaniel Matthews.

In the book, Thornsberry recounted traveling to Washington to protest the 2020 election results. He described Jan. 6 as a defense of American freedoms and claimed he was beaten with batons and pepper-sprayed by police.

Thornsberry served in the military for five years, according to a Military Times report. He worked as an air traffic controller and combat engineer, deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and reached the rank of corporal before leaving the service in 2011.

Sexual assault allegations

In August 2026, a woman reported that Thornsberry had sexually assaulted her during a scheduled massage appointment at a Rochester Hills spa where he had worked at the time.

Oakland County prosecutors allege that Thornsberry "touched her intimate areas and sexually penetrated her with his finger. The victim told the defendant to stop, but he allegedly continued touching her as he withdrew his hand."

On Oct. 28, the prosecutor's office authorized one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct against Thornsberry. The next day, he was arrested at his current place of employment, a spa in Shelby Township.

On Nov. 6, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said additional victims have come forward after news of Thornsberry's arrest was publicized. Deputies are currently investigating the new allegations.

"I'm proud of how quickly, and with a sense of urgency, our team investigated these allegations, located the suspect, and took him into custody," Bouchard said in a statement. "If there are any other victims out there, please contact us so we can hold him fully to account."

The suspect's attorney, Michael Dean, declined to comment on the case.

Thornsberry was arraigned on Oct. 30 in 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills. His next hearing is on Nov. 9.

If convicted as charged, he could face up to 15 years in prison.

Thornsberry is one of at least 97 individuals granted clemency by Trump for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack who have since been charged with or convicted of separate offenses, according to a June report by Lawfare, a legal and national security publication.

The alleged crimes range from low-level offenses such as trespassing and property damage to serious felonies including child molestation and reckless homicide, Lawfare reported.

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