Proud Boys convicted of January 6 sedition.

Breaking News: Four Proud Boy Defendants Convicted of Seditious Conspiracy in Relation to Jan. 6 Riot

The Verdict

After six days of deliberation, a jury in Washington, D.C., has convicted four out of five Proud Boy defendants of seditious conspiracy in relation to the Jan. 6 riot at the United States Capitol. The men convicted of the rare charge are Enrique Tarrio, the former chairman of the Proud Boys, and other chapter leaders Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl. Dominic Pezzola, a member of the Proud Boys from Rochester, New York, bypassed a conviction on seditious conspiracy for now, but was hit lesser convictions.

The Charges

All five defendants were also convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent Congress or federal officers from discharging duties, interference with law enforcement during a civil disorder, and destruction of government property.

The Details

The only defendant who was accused of violence on January 6 was Pezzola, a member of the Proud Boys from Rochester, New York. He apparently used a riot shield that belonged to an officer to break a window pane on the western front of the U.S. Capitol. Pezzola was arrested way back in January of 2021, and had remained in jail since.

Tarrio, who has received the most attention from the mainstream media in this case, was not in Washington, D.C., on the day of the breach. During the trial, the prosecution cited mostly private and some public messages from Tarrio that they said showed the former leader taking credit for the riot. In one message, for example, Tarrio wrote, “Make no mistake … we did this.”

The government also brought up a document outlining a Capitol takeover that was sent to Tarrio on Telegram called “1776 Returns.” Tarrio did not directly respond to the sent document, and claims he never even saw it, let alone opened it up.

The Reaction

From jail, Tarrio on April 25 commented on the speech issue that was a large part of this trial. Speaking in general terms, Tarrio said the government is trying to “manipulate” how people speak to each other privately.

“What they’re trying to do, what people are trying to do – and this is in general, I’m speaking in general – is manipulate how we talk to each other in the locker room,” the former Proud Boy leader said in a Twitter Spaces event. “And it’s not fair […] It’s just not right. It’s not the Justice system that you grew up in civics class learning about.”

The Bottom Line

The verdict is in, and the Proud Boys have been held accountable for their actions on Jan. 6. This historic conviction sends a strong message that violence and sedition will not be tolerated in our democracy.

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