Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys, and three other members of the organization were found guilty on Thursday of plotting a US Capitol attack to maintain Donald Trump's presidency after he lost the 2020 presidential election.
The jury in Washington, DC, found Tarrio guilty of seditious conspiracy and several other offenses, such as preventing Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's victory in the election and interfering with law enforcement, AP News reported. However, he was exonerated of an assault charge resulting from a co-defendant's theft of a riot shield from an officer.
The Justice Department's convictions of two extremist organization leaders for seditious conspiracy, including Proud Boys, who prosecutors said was motivated to stop Joe Biden from becoming president in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, mark a major accomplishment and carry a maximum 20-year prison term.
Enrique Tarrio, who has been imprisoned since his arrest in March 2022, didn't seem to be affected by the judgment. Before leaving the courtroom, he embraced one of his attorneys and shook the other lawyer's hand, per News Nation.
Jury Also Convicted 3 Proud Boys Members
The jury also convicted three other Proud Boys members, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl, guilty of seditious conspiracy, along with Tarrio, who lives in Miami. Dominic Pezzola, the fifth defendant, is accused of sedition; nevertheless, the jury has not yet come to a unanimous decision. The judge has ordered them to continue debating.
The FBI's investigation into the incident on January 6 focused heavily on The Proud Boys, a group notorious for their violent altercations with left-wing protestors since 2017.
Beginning in January 2021, a series of activities resulted in the arrest of the defendants. In addition to them, around 20 more organization members from chapters throughout the US were accused in separate instances connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, according to The New York Times,
Throughout the three-month-long sedition trial, there were numerous delays, tense exchanges between the defense and prosecution, and several decisions by the presiding judge, Timothy J. Kelly, that pushed the limits of conspiracy law.
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