Sedition

Zachary Rehl, a Philadelphia man, and four other members of the Proud Boys have been charged with seditious conspiracy, a serious federal charge that's less ...

Proud Boys have appeared alongside other hate groups at extremist gatherings such as the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The other four men were part of that group as was Charles Donohoe, 34, of Kernersville, North Carolina, who has pleaded guilty to lesser charges They are known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric. The Oath Keepers "are often confrontational and have participated in multiple armed standoffs against the government," according to the SPLC. The group's recruiting efforts focus on members of the military and law enforcement. Tarrio created a special chapter of the Proud Boys in December 2020, called the "Ministry of Self Defense," a group of "hand selected members," according to the indictment. The five men "conspired to prevent, hinder and delay the certification of the Electoral College vote, and to oppose by force the authority of the government of the United States" before and on Jan. 6, 2021, the day of a "Stop the Steal" rally for then-President Donald Trump, according to the Justice Department.

Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, former chairman of the Proud Boys, and four other members of the far-right group were indicted Monday on charges of seditious ...

A New York man pleaded guilty in December to storming the U.S. Capitol with fellow Proud Boys members. Rehl was president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia. Pezzola is a Proud Boys member. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly rejected defense attorneys' arguments that the men were charged with conduct that is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech. The Proud Boys will also be featured when the House committee investigating Jan. 6 holds its initial public hearing Thursday night. Around the same time, an unnamed person sent Tarrio a document that laid out plans for occupying a few "crucial buildings" in Washington on Jan. 6, including House and Senate office buildings around the Capitol, the indictment says. Unlike Rhodes, Tarrio was not in Washington on Jan. 6. In December, a federal judge refused to dismiss an earlier indictment charging alleged leaders of the Proud Boys with conspiring to block the certification of Biden's electoral college win. Another Proud Boy, Charles Donohoe of Kernersville, N.C., pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy and assault charges is cooperating with the government's inquiry into the group. Matthew Greene was the first Proud Boys member to publicly plead guilty to conspiring with other members to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote. Since filing the charges in January, two of Rhodes's co-defendants and one other Oath Keepers member have pleaded guilty to the charge and are cooperating with the Justice Department: Joshua James, 34, of Alabama; Brian Ulrich, 44, of Georgia; and William Todd Wilson, 44, of North Carolina. Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, former chairman of the Proud Boys, and four other members of the far-right group were indicted Monday on charges of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol -- the most serious criminal counts to be brought in the Justice Department's investigation of the assault. Nordean was a Proud Boys chapter president and a member of the group's national "Elders Council." Biggs is a self-described Proud Boys organizer.

The DOJ indicted five members of the far-right group—including former leader Enrique Tarrio—for seditious conspiracy over their involvement in the Jan.

A conviction for seditious conspiracy carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Even if every one of Rehl’s contentions is true, however, under federal conspiracy law, he could still be convicted for knowingly entering into a conspiracy with people who actually committed one or more of those acts. The Proud Boys defendants, as a group, likely will argue that they did not engage in any illegal activity in advance of Jan. 6, but rather constitutionally-protected free speech and assembly. This defense proved successful in the recent trial of four members of the Michigan Militia for allegedly plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, with two defendants acquitted and a mistrial for a hung jury on the other two defendants. If a defendant knowingly joined the conspiracy, it does not matter whether that individual himself used force to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, so long as at least one other person did. In specific, the indictment here lays out the tremendous investigative resources that have been devoted to preparing this case.