AFPEA Proud Boys supporter at a protest in Houston (illustrative)
NOS Nieuws•morgen, 00:39
Two prominent members of the far-right organization Proud Boys have been sentenced to long prison terms for their role in the storming of the Capitol. Joseph Biggs sentenced to 17 years in prison, Zachary Rehl to 15 years. They both received the punishment seditious conspiracy, or ‘seditious conspiracy’.
Biggs’ sentence is the second-highest ever imposed in lawsuits over the storming. Founder of the far-right organization Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison in May.
Rehl, among other things, sprayed a corrosive substance at police officers at the Capitol during the storming. Biggs also played a prominent role. Both expressed regret. Biggs claimed to have been “seduced by the group in attendance” at the Capitol.
Lower penalties than required
The sentences are well below the 33 years and 30 years that prosecutors had demanded. Judge Timothy Kelly, when reading out the sentences, said he in no way wanted to downplay the violence of the storming. But according to him, imposing the highest penalty would make it lose its value in cases with even more victims.
Two other prominent Proud Boys members, Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola, will be sentenced on Friday. The Public Prosecution Service is demanding sentences of 27 and 20 years respectively for them.
The former leader of the national branch of the Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio is due to appear in court on September 5. He is demanded 33 years. Tarrio was not present during the storming, but gave directions from a distance to Biggs, among others.
1100 arrests
The Capitol was stormed two years ago by supporters of Donald Trump who disagreed with the election results. They hoped to prevent Congress from officially recording Joe Biden’s election victory. The storm killed five people and injured 140 police officers
More than 1100 people have been arrested after the storming. More than six hundred of them have pleaded guilty. More than 100 people have been sentenced so far.
2023-08-31 22:39:56
#Proud #Boys #members #stiff #sentences #role #Capitol #storming
