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Washington: Four members of the far-right group The Proud Boys were found guilty of conspiracy to sedition on Thursday for their role in the January 6, 2021 attack on US Capitol Building By supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Enrique Tarrio, 39, the former “national chief” of a neo-fascist organization, was among those convicted by a jury after a trial that lasted more than three months in the country’s capital.
Three of Tarrio’s aides — Joseph Biggs, 39, Ethan Nordean, 32, and Zachary Riehl, 37 — were also convicted of sedition conspiracy, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, while a fourth boy, Dominic Pezzola, was found not guilty.
“After January 6th, I promised that the Department of Justice would do everything in its power to hold accountable those responsible for the heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy — the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government,” attorney general Merrick Garland told reporters.
“Today’s ruling demonstrates that the Department of Justice will do everything it can to defend the American people and American democracy,” Garland said.
Tarrio was not in Washington on Jan. 6, but he has been accused of directing the storming of the Capitol in an effort to stop Congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump.
The five defendants were also convicted of several lesser charges, including obstruction of congressional proceedings, obstruction of law enforcement and destruction of government property.
Pezzola, 45, was also convicted of burglary of US property. In widely viewed video footage from Jan. 6, Pezzola can be seen using stolen riot police shields to break a window in the Capitol Building.
Federal prosecutors’ success in obtaining convictions for discord Among the January 6 rioters could raise the stakes for Trump and his aides in the investigation by special counsel on whether they conspired or abetted Capitol attack.
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the storming of Congress by Trump supporters – and more than 600 have been convicted – but only about a dozen have faced the rarely used sedition charge.
Two leaders of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers, were convicted of sedition conspiracy last year, including its founder, Stuart Rhodes, and several other members who pleaded guilty without going to trial.
According to the indictment Tarrio filed, on January 5, Rhodes met in an underground parking garage in Washington and had contact with members of the Proud Boys who violated the Capitol.
In January, four more members of the Oath Keepers were found guilty of sedition conspiracy, strengthening the government’s argument that the January 6 attack was not merely a spontaneous act, but involved significant planning and coordination.
The attack on Congress, which killed at least five people and injured 140 police officers, followed a fiery speech by Trump to thousands of his supporters near the White House.
Trump was impeached for the historic second time by the House of Representatives after the Capitol riot – charged with incitement to insurrection – but acquitted by the Senate.
A House committee investigating the Capitol riot has recommended that the Justice Department file criminal charges against Trump.
Garland appointed a special counsel to oversee the investigation into the January 6 attack and the former president’s efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
Three weeks before the violence erupted, Trump urged his supporters to descend on Washington on January 6, writing on Twitter: “Be out there, you’ll be wild.”
Trump also faces possible indictment in Georgia for allegedly pressuring local officials to change election results in the southern state.
The special counsel is also looking into a cache of classified documents the FBI seized in a raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home last year.
Enrique Tarrio, 39, the former “national chief” of a neo-fascist organization, was among those convicted by a jury after a trial that lasted more than three months in the country’s capital.
Three of Tarrio’s aides — Joseph Biggs, 39, Ethan Nordean, 32, and Zachary Riehl, 37 — were also convicted of sedition conspiracy, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, while a fourth boy, Dominic Pezzola, was found not guilty.
“After January 6th, I promised that the Department of Justice would do everything in its power to hold accountable those responsible for the heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy — the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government,” attorney general Merrick Garland told reporters.
“Today’s ruling demonstrates that the Department of Justice will do everything it can to defend the American people and American democracy,” Garland said.
Tarrio was not in Washington on Jan. 6, but he has been accused of directing the storming of the Capitol in an effort to stop Congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump.
The five defendants were also convicted of several lesser charges, including obstruction of congressional proceedings, obstruction of law enforcement and destruction of government property.
Pezzola, 45, was also convicted of burglary of US property. In widely viewed video footage from Jan. 6, Pezzola can be seen using stolen riot police shields to break a window in the Capitol Building.
Federal prosecutors’ success in obtaining convictions for discord Among the January 6 rioters could raise the stakes for Trump and his aides in the investigation by special counsel on whether they conspired or abetted Capitol attack.
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the storming of Congress by Trump supporters – and more than 600 have been convicted – but only about a dozen have faced the rarely used sedition charge.
Two leaders of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers, were convicted of sedition conspiracy last year, including its founder, Stuart Rhodes, and several other members who pleaded guilty without going to trial.
According to the indictment Tarrio filed, on January 5, Rhodes met in an underground parking garage in Washington and had contact with members of the Proud Boys who violated the Capitol.
In January, four more members of the Oath Keepers were found guilty of sedition conspiracy, strengthening the government’s argument that the January 6 attack was not merely a spontaneous act, but involved significant planning and coordination.
The attack on Congress, which killed at least five people and injured 140 police officers, followed a fiery speech by Trump to thousands of his supporters near the White House.
Trump was impeached for the historic second time by the House of Representatives after the Capitol riot – charged with incitement to insurrection – but acquitted by the Senate.
A House committee investigating the Capitol riot has recommended that the Justice Department file criminal charges against Trump.
Garland appointed a special counsel to oversee the investigation into the January 6 attack and the former president’s efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
Three weeks before the violence erupted, Trump urged his supporters to descend on Washington on January 6, writing on Twitter: “Be out there, you’ll be wild.”
Trump also faces possible indictment in Georgia for allegedly pressuring local officials to change election results in the southern state.
The special counsel is also looking into a cache of classified documents the FBI seized in a raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home last year.
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