The former top leader of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys and other members have been charged with inflammatory conspiracy for what federal prosecutors say was a coordinated attack on the US Capitol to prevent Congress from confirming President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, authorities said in a statement. Monday. .
Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, former chairman of the Proud Boys, and four others associated with the group are charged in the latest indictment against them. All five were previously charged with various counts of conspiracy.
Tarrio, the main leader of the group, was not in Washington D.C. when the riots broke out on January 1. January 6, 2021. Police arrested Tarrio in Washington two days before the riots and charged him with vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic black church during a December 2020 protest. Tarrio was released from prison on 1 January. 14 after serving a five-month sentence in this case.
The new riot-related indictments against members of the Proud Boys are among the most serious to date, but they are not the first of their kind.
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In January, eleven members or associates of the anti-government militia group the Oath Keepers, including its founder and leader Stuart Rhodes, were charged with sedition in an attack on the Capitol.
More than three dozen people charged with the Capitol siege have been identified by federal authorities as leaders, members, or associates of the Proud Boys.
The New Yorker pleaded guilty in December to storming the US Capitol with fellow members of the Proud Boys. Matthew Green was the first member of the Proud Boys to publicly plead guilty to conspiring with other members to prevent Congress from certifying an Electoral College vote. Green agreed to cooperate with the authorities.
Jan morning. On August 6, members of the Proud Boys met at the Washington Monument and marched to the Capitol before then-President Donald Trump had finished speaking to thousands of supporters outside the White House.
Shortly before Congress convened a joint session to confirm the election results, the Proud Boys followed a crowd of people who violated barriers at the pedestrian entrance to the Capitol grounds, according to the indictment. Several Proud Boys also entered the Capitol building itself after the mob smashed the windows and forced the doors.
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Prosecutors said the Proud Boys had arranged for the members to communicate on specific frequencies on Baofeng Radio. Chinese-made devices can be programmed to use hundreds of frequencies, making it difficult for outsiders to listen.
In December, a federal judge refused to dismiss an earlier indictment that charged four alleged leaders of the far-right Proud Boys with conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly dismissed defense attorneys’ argument that four men – Ethan Nordin, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Charles Donoghue – were charged with conduct that is protected by the First Amendment to free speech.
Nordin of Auburn, Washington, was president of the Proud Boys chapter and a member of the group’s national “Council of Elders”. Biggs of Ormond Beach, Florida, describes himself as a Proud Boys organizer. Rel was president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Proud Boys. According to the indictment, Donoghue of Kernersville, North Carolina, was also president of his local chapter.
Members of the Proud Boys describe the group as a politically incorrect “Western chauvinist” men’s club. Its members frequently fought anti-fascist activists at rallies and protests. Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys in 2016, is suing the Southern Poverty Law Center for calling it a hate group.
Pictures of Chaos: AP Photographers Capture U.S. Capitol Riot
Rioters climb the wall of the US Capitol on January 1. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Jose Luis Magana
Supporters loyal to then-President Donald Trump attend a rally on the Ellipse outside the White House on Jan. 1. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Julio Cortez
Trump supporters attend a rally in Washington DC. September 6, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
John Mincillo
Trump supporters attend a rally in January. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/John Mincillo)
John Mincillo
Then-President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak at a rally in Washington, January 1. September 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Jacqueline Martin
People listen to then President Donald Trump speak during a rally. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Evan Vucci
Supporters of then-President Donald Trump are trying to break through the police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. September 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Julio Cortez
A supporter of then-President Donald Trump was injured during clashes with police outside the US Capitol. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Julio Cortez
A rioter pours water on himself at the US Capitol on January 1. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Jose Luis Magana
A Trump supporter holds a Bible as he gathers with others outside the Capitol in January. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/John Mincillo)
John Mincillo
Trump supporters try to break through the police barrier, Wednesday, January. December 6, 2021 at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John Mincillo)
John Mincillo
A demonstrator supporting then-President Donald Trump is sprayed by police on January 1. September 6, 2021, during the riots at the Capitol (AP Photo/John Minchillo).
John Mincillo
Rebels attempt to enter the US Capitol on January 1st. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/John Mincillo)
John Mincillo
US Capitol police attempt to contain rioters at the east doors of the US Capitol House, January 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Andrew Harnick
Rioters gather outside the US Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Andrew Harnick
Protesters gather outside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Andrew Harnick
Jacob Anthony Chansley (center) with other insurgents who supported then-President Donald Trump clash with US Capitol police in a hallway outside the Capitol Senate Room in January. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. Chansley was among the first group of rebels to enter the corridor outside the Senate chamber. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Manuel Balce Seneta
US Capitol police hold rioters at gunpoint outside the House of Representatives inside the US Capitol on January 1. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)
Andrew Harnick
Lawmakers leave the hall as rioters attempt to infiltrate the US Capitol House of Representatives on Jan. 1. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
J. Scott Applewhite
Police watch with weapons at the ready as rioters attempt to infiltrate the U.S. Capitol House of Representatives. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
J. Scott Applewhite
Congressmen take shelter in the gallery of the House of Representatives as rioters attempt to infiltrate the U.S. Capitol House of Representatives. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)
Andrew Harnick
Members of Congress don emergency gas masks as they are evacuated from the House Gallery as rioters attempt to break into the Chamber of the House at the US Capitol on Jan. 1. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)
Andrew Harnick
The House’s gallery is empty after being evacuated as rioters attempt to break into the House Chamber at the US Capitol. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
J. Scott Applewhite
Rep. Andy Kim, DN.J., cleans up trash and personal items strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in early January morning. February 7, 2021, after rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)
Andrew Harnick
Members of the DC National Guard surround the US Capitol. September 6, 2021 in Washington DC. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Julio Cortez
Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., read the final confirmation of the Electoral College votes cast in the November presidential election during a joint session of Congress after a night of work at the Capitol in Washington, January. September 7, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, Pool)
J. Scott Applewhite
A flag hangs between broken windows after supporters of then-President Donald Trump attempted to break through police barriers near the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
John Mincillo
A flag reading “Treason” is seen on the ground during the early morning hours of January. February 7, 2021, after rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)
Andrew Harnick
An ATF policeman cleans up trash and personal belongings scattered on the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning of January 1st. February 7, 2021, after rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)
Andrew Harnick
Fencing outside the Capitol grounds, Thursday, January. January 7, 2021 in Washington. The House and Senate confirmed the victory of the Democratic Electoral College early Thursday after a furious mob of Trump supporters spent several hours Wednesday running rampant through the Capitol. A woman was mortally wounded, windows were shattered, and the mob forced the shocked legislators and their aides to flee the building under the cover of the Capitol police. (AP Photo/John Mincillo)
John Mincillo
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