A federal civil-rights and tort lawsuit has been filed in Chicago, accusing the Biden-era Department of Justice and FBI of weaponizing law enforcement against an independent election-integrity advocate, using excessive force, retaliatory prosecution, and coordinated media smears tied to January 6 narratives.
Lawrence J. Ligas, a longtime grassroots election expert and independent voter, has filed a $39.7 million pro se federal lawsuit against the United States and individual federal actors over his January 6 prosecution and a pre-dawn FBI raid on his home.
The case, Ligas v. United States of America, et al., was filed December 29, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and assigned to Robert W. Gettleman.
Ligas alleges excessive force, retaliatory charging, and coordinated reputational harm — all, he says, to silence an independent who refused to echo the government’s preferred story about Donald J. Trump and January 6.
According to the complaint, Ligas traveled to Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021 as an independent observer interested in election transparency, not as part of any group.
He maintains he did not storm the Capitol, did not breach barricades, and did not engage in violence or property damage.
Ligas alleges prosecutors attempted to coerce a plea that would have required him to falsely blame President Trump and claim Trump asked him to be “front and center” on January 6.
When he refused and asserted his right to trial, Ligas says the DOJ added a new felony obstruction charge — a move he characterizes as punishment for non-cooperation.
He further notes his criminal case was dismissed with prejudice by a D.C. judge — vindication he says came from the court, not from a political pardon.
Hellbound and Down 