Global Courant 2023-05-05 04:54:37
After a trial that lasted several months, a Washington jury on Thursday awarded the Justice Department a major victory, reaching a verdict in the Jan. 6 incendiary Proud Boys conspiracy.
Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Three of the far-right group’s lieutenants were also found guilty of conspiracy to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election and prevent Joe Biden from becoming president of the United States.
Overall, Tarrio and Ethan Nordean, Joe Biggs and Zachary Rehl were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election, actual obstruction of the certification, conspiracy to prevent officers from performing their duties, obstruction of law enforcement during civil proceedings. disorder and complicity in the destruction of government property.
The Proud Boys leaders were cleared of charges of assaulting, obstructing or resisting officers.
Those convicted could face decades of imprisonment.
A protester carries a Proud Boys banner as other members begin to unfurl a large American flag in front of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon, Sept. 7, 2020.
Andrew Selsky/AP, FILE
After a few hours of deliberation on the seditious conspiracy against Dominic Pezzola, he was found not guilty.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on Pezzola for conspiracy to obstruct official proceedings.
In this photo from Jan. 6, 2021, rioters, including Dominic Pezzola, center with police shield, are confronted by Capitol police officers outside the Senate chamber at the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP, FILE
Judge Timothy Kelly declared a mistrial on the remaining counts of assaulting, resisting or interfering with officers.
Pezzola, nicknamed Spaz, admitted to the group’s most violent behavior when he testified that he used a stolen police riot shield to break through a window, allowing rioters to enter the building.
Earlier Thursday, he was convicted of theft of US government property.
Asked by his lawyer why he decided to take the stand, Pezzola said, “to take responsibility” for what he did on January 6 and explain that his co-defendants were not involved in many of his actions.
Tarrio was not present in Washington on January 6 following his arrest several days earlier on separate charges. Prosecutors argued that he distanced his troops with messages of revolution and told them “not to leave” after the building was breached that afternoon.
He was accused of orchestrating a force with a group they called the “Ministry of Self Defense” made up of dedicated Proud Boys and top leaders.
Tarrio’s sentencing follows the case of Stewart Rhodes, leader of another far-right group called Oath Keepers, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 events.
Video of the two leaders meeting in a Washington parking garage on the eve of Jan. 6 was part of the amount of footage the Justice Department obtained in the case.
The Proud Boys’ membership soared after then-President Donald Trump told the group to “stand back and stand by” during a 2020 presidential debate. Tarrio’s lawyers blamed Trump for cheering and whipping up the mob that eventually made its way into the Capitol.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland addresses reporters during a brief press conference at the Justice Department in Washington, DC, May 4, 2023.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
The case is a victory for authorities chasing the hundreds of rioters who breached the Capitol. More than 1,000 arrests have been made in connection with January 6, according to the Justice Department.
“Today’s verdict makes it clear that the Justice Department will do everything it can to defend the American people and American democracy,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, adding, “Our work will continue.”
Thursday was the seventh day of deliberation when jurors asked several questions.
With dozens of witnesses and mountains of evidence on video and social media, the Proud Boys trial has been the longest in the Justice Department’s pursuit of rioters on the Capitol to date.
Since jury selection began in December, the case has dragged on with bitter arguments, multiple objections and mistrial. At times, Judge Kelly would lose his temper and chide the lawyers for interrupting or seeming to ignore his directions.
Proud Boys members Zachary Rehl, left, and Ethan Nordean walk to the Capitol in Washington, in support of President Donald Trump, January 6, 2021.
Carolyn Kaster/AP, DOSSIER
The Proud Boys insisted there were no plans to attack the Capitol and attempted to portray themselves as nothing more than a hard-hitting social club in which partying, drinking, and exchanging crude jokes were accompanied by attendance at political protests.
The group also describes itself as “Western chauvinists,” an unashamed brand of fervent nationalism.
Prosecutors stressed to the jury that the Proud Boys did not have to have detailed — or successful — plans to be found guilty. The conspiracy charges hinged on their mutual understanding to oppose the government by force.
Alexander Mallin of ABC News contributed to this report.
