Proud Boys leader Harry "Enrique" Tarrio and four of his commandants have been charged with the rare federal felony of seditious conspiracy and other offenses related to the January 6th, 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol.
The Justice Department handed down a 10-count indictment against Tarrio, Capitol window-breacher Dominic Pezzola of Rochester, New York, Ethan Nordean of Seattle, Washington, Joe Biggs of the Daytona Beach area in Florida, and Zachary Rehl of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Washington Post reported on Monday. Tarrio, who was not in the nation's capital on the day of the attack, nonetheless "allegedly guided the group's activities from nearby Maryland as Proud Boys members engaged in the earliest and most aggressive attacks to confront and overwhelm police at several critical points on restricted Capitol grounds."
Furthermore, all four men allegedly participated in "coordinating travel to Washington and the movements of the group around the Capitol" on January 6th," per the Post. "The group is also accused of plotting to foment a riot and storm Congress, action that eventually forced the evacuation of lawmakers meeting to confirm the 2020 election results."
Seditious conspiracy indictments have also been levied against Oath Keepers leader Steward Rhodes and 10 of his confederates for their roles in the deadly insurgency that was inspired by former President Donald Trump.
"But the new charges show that prosecutors are pulling together a wider picture of organization within extremist groups that shared overlapping if not common goals," the Post noted.
Tarrio and his co-conspirators have been detained and are pleading not guilty.
Meanwhile, last Friday, Proud Boys member Josh Pruitt pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding on January 6th, 2021 while Congress was certifying President Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.
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