Jury convicts 4 of 5 leaders on rare and severe charge
Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right extremist group, Proud Boys, has been convicted of seditious conspiracy. He was accused of conspiring to disrupt the peaceful power transition between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in January 2021.
The conviction followed a seven-day jury deliberation on five top members of the group, including Tarrio. Three other members of the Proud Boys – Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, and Zachary Rehl – were also found guilty of conspiracy charges, evidence tampering, and obstruction of the Electoral College vote. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the 5th alleged co-conspirator, Domic Pezzola.
Tarrio was not present at the Capitol riots, but prosecutors presented evidence that he organized and directed the attack by Proud Boys members who stormed the Capitol, resulting in five deaths.
Defense lawyers argued that there was no plan by Proud Boys to attack the Capitol or stop Congress' certification of Biden's win and also tried to shift the blame onto former President Trump, saying that Trump had incited the attack by telling the mob to “fight like hell.”
The seditious conspiracy charge is rare and carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Prosecutors and legal experts pointed to the long and thorough evidence-gathering, extended deliberation by the jury, and even the jury’s inability to reach consensus and convict all 5 accused Proud Boys (indicating the care and different standards each were held to) as strong affirmations that America’s democratic process and rule of law is working as it should.
