WASHINGTON — An Indiana man who tried to dodge a nine-month prison sentence for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot has been caught in Canada. Antony Vo was arrested in Whistler, British Columbia, on Monday, exactly four years after the Capitol attack, according to Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson Rebecca Purdy. Vo is still in custody, as confirmed by his immigration lawyer.
Vo is one of over 1,500 people charged in connection with the Capitol riot, and among more than 700 who have received prison sentences. However, instead of reporting to prison last year as ordered, he fled. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced Vo in April and told him to surrender to prison authorities by June 14, but he didn’t show up.
Since then, Vo hasn’t been shy about his defiance. On social media, he often talks about his case and promotes conspiracy theories about the January 6 attack. He’s also spoken to reporters, saying he expects a pardon from President-elect Donald Trump later this month. In one interview, he confidently claimed, “I’m pretty much 99% sure” Trump will pardon him when he takes office on January 20.
Vo has even used social media to lash out at Judge Chutkan, who sentenced him. In one post, he called her court a “kangaroo court” and added, “My entire family hated Chutkan! It’s like we could sense the commie in her.”
According to Vo, he sought political asylum in Canada with help from a lawyer based in Saskatchewan. He told a local newspaper he was counting on Trump to grant him a pardon. Trump has publicly promised to pardon Capitol rioters, calling them “political prisoners” and “hostages.” He said he’ll evaluate each case individually, though he hasn’t explained his process for deciding who gets a pardon.
Canadian border officials said there’s no record of Vo officially entering the country through any designated entry point. He was arrested under an immigration law. Rebecca Purdy noted that in 2024, over 14,000 people were deported from Canada for similar violations. Vo now faces a detention review hearing next Wednesday in British Columbia.
Vo’s defense attorney in the United States, Carmen Hernandez, said she only found out about his arrest through the news. “I haven’t heard from him since,” she said.
Vo first entered the Capitol on January 6, 2021, alongside his mother after they drove from their home in Bloomington, Indiana, to attend then-President Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. A photo taken inside the Capitol shows Vo holding a flag in the Rotunda while standing next to his mother, Annie Vo.
Last year, a jury found him guilty of four misdemeanors related to his actions that day. During his sentencing, Vo told the court he was sorry for what happened on January 6 and admitted he shouldn’t have been there. But Judge Chutkan pointed out that Vo’s actions—and his lack of respect for the law—were what got him in trouble.
“He apparently has a different view of the Constitution and the seriousness of his actions,” Chutkan said. “He’s entitled to that view, but he’s being sentenced for his actions.”
Vo’s legal troubles don’t end with his arrest in Canada. His mother, Annie Vo, is also facing charges, and her trial is set to begin on March 10.