Proud Boys Trial: Enrique Tarrio, 3 Others, Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy During January 6

The seditious conspiracy trial for five members of the pro-Trump right-wing extremist group, the Proud Boys, including Cuban-American founder Enrique Tarrio, concluded on Thursday, and it concluded in the criminal convictions of four of them for their roles during the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

While four, including Tarrio, were convicted of seditious conspiracy, all five Proud Boys defendants were found guilty of obstructing official proceedings, as well as other felonies. They now face several decades in prison, as the most serious charges carry up to 20 years in prison.

Among the charges that all five defendants were found guilty of included conspiracy to prevent officials from discharging their duties, as well as impeding officers during civil disorder, and destruction of a fence protecting the Capitol. Members of the far-right extremist group were part of the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and keep then-President Donald Trump in power.

While their seditious conspiracy charge was clear, BBC reported that a mistrial was also declared on 10 of the charges against them as the jury failed to agree on whether they were guilty or not.

Proud Boys Acted as 'Donald Trump's Army' During January 6

The ones convicted of seditious conspiracy were Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl, as well as Enrique Tarrio himself. Dominic Pezzola, who became infamous for smashing a Capitol window to get inside the building, was not found guilty of that charge.

However, while the trial focused on the group's actions, it also mentioned former President Donald Trump several times, with the prosecution frequently reminding the jury of how much the Proud Boys revered the former president.

Throughout the case, the Proud Boys were presented as "Donald Trump's Army" as the prosecution argued that they wanted to keep their preferred leader in power as opposed to the Democratically-elected Joe Biden.

According to The Guardian, many considered Trump as the "lynchpin" in the actions of the Proud Boys, as well as other right-wing militia groups like the Oath Keepers, as they acted on Trump's call to "fight like hell" to keep him in power.

Tarrio was not present on January 6, but testimonies from Proud Boys members have shown that he was directing things remotely.

Donald Trump Legal Woes Could Worsen Because of Proud Boys Convictions

MSNBC pointed out that in just half a year, three sets of guilty verdicts, totaling 10 convictions, were made for the rare crime of seditious conspiracy. These verdicts were made for pro-Trump right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Their convictions could also be more bad news for Trump, as the Proud Boys members were not shy about admitting that the former president used them as scapegoats.

The findings, in this case, would be used by Special Counsel Jack Smith in his investigations into the former president's attempts to overturn the elections, given how much the Proud Boys believed they were acting on Trump's behalf during the January 6 riot.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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