Proud Boys leaders convicted of conspiracy on January 6

Four members of the right-wing organization Proud Boys have been convicted of seditious conspiracy for their alleged role in masterminding the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Chairman Enrique Tarrio, Philadelphia chapter leader Zachary Rehl, Joe Biggs, and Ethan Nordean each face up to 20 years in prison. A sixth Proud Boy, Jeremy Bertino, pleaded guilty to lesser charges and testified that his comrades wanted a "revolution" and were working to stop then-president-elect Joe Biden from assuming the role of commander-in-chief. All five were found guilty of obstructing Congress, felony civil disorder, and destroying government property. The four Proud Boys have been charged with seditious conspiracy in connection to the January 6 riot in Washington, D.C., which began as a protest against the certification of the 2020 electoral vote for Democrat Joe Biden and devolved into anarchy after some protesters rushed the barricades surrounding the Capitol.

The FBI has claimed that Tarrio was arrested in order to prevent the events of January 6, and the Proud Boys leader has a lengthy history as a federal informant, lending credibility to persistent rumors that federal agents-provocateurs had agitated the riot. The riot began as a protest against the certification of the 2020 electoral vote for Democrat Joe Biden and devolved into anarchy after some protesters rushed the barricades surrounding the Capitol. Four demonstrators died, and former President Donald Trump was impeached for allegedly inciting the violence.