DETROIT – An Oakland County man who was sentenced in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was released from prison.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, to pardon, commute or vow to dismiss the cases of over 1,500 defendants in the Capitol riot that killed at least five people.
Michael Foy, of Wixom, was charged and sentenced for attacking a police officer with a hockey stick during the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol.
Federal authorities said during the insurrection, Foy was the most violent of all the participants. The Wixom man, a marine, used a hockey stick to beat officers -- an assault that was recorded on a body camera.
According to the Department of Justice, he also picked up a sharp metal pole as he made his way into the Capitol building and threw it over a head of rioters into the body of a police officer.
He was sentenced to at least three years in prison and two years of supervised release on June 22, 2023. Trump pardoned Foy, and he was released from prison on Jan. 20, 2025.
Michael’s father responds
Foy’s father, Joseph Foy, spent his day watching the inauguration of Trump, hopeful that his son would receive a pardon.
Speaking during his drive from Metro Detroit to Ashland, Kentucky, Joseph shared the emotional journey he has been on.
“I anticipated the moment, and it was prayers answered from God,” Joseph said, reflecting on the pardon.
When asked what Joseph would tell Trump, he replied, “I would hug him, thank him for doing the right thing.”
