A Washington DC judge sentenced on Friday multiple members of a far-right nationalist group known as the Proud Boys for their role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Former leader of the Proud Boys Ethan Nordean received an 18 year prison sentence, and member Dominic Pezzola received a ten year prison sentence. Nordean’s sentence ties with the Stewart Rhodes‘, the leader of another far-right nationalist group known as the Oath Keepers.
A federal jury in Washington DC previously convicted Nordean and Pezzola on conspiracy charges on May 4. The jury found that Nordean and several other members of the Proud Boys conspired to prevent the US Congress from carrying out the vote certification on January 6, 2021. Nordean was found guilty of seditious conspiracy and conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding. Nordean was also found guilty, along with Pezzola, of obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent Members of Congress and federal law enforcement from discharging their duties, civil disorder and destruction of government property.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Nordean was responsible for helping the Proud Boys select “rally boys” for January 6, 2021. Once selected, the group “established a chain of command, chose a time and place for the attack, and intentionally recruited others who would follow their top-down leadership and who were prepared to engage in physical violence if necessary.”
Their actions on the day of January 6, 2021 were then captured via police body camera and security camera footage as well as videos from riot participants. The US House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol played some of this footage for the American public during a series of hearings in 2022.
Originally, a federal grand jury charged Pezzola with eleven counts related to his attack on the Capitol during the traditionally peaceful transfer of power. The charges included “robbery of the riot shield from a police officer and obstruction of an official proceeding before Congress.” At trial, prosecutors presented photos and videos showing Pezzola grabbing a riot shield from police and using it to smash a Capitol window, which allowed other rioters to stream into the building.
Once inside the Capitol building, Pezzola uploaded a selfie-style video to social media in which he smoked a cigar and claimed “victory.” According to court records, Pezzola conceded that he smoked the cigar to celebrate that the objective to “stop the certification of the election” was achieved. Witnesses say Pezzola bragged about smashing the window and other actions during the day after the fact.
Prosecutors also presented evidence demonstrating that Nordean was a “full and active participant of this conspiracy.” They argued to the jury that Nordean was the “undisputed leader on the ground” on January 6, 2021. Based on Nordean’s conviction, the jury agreed.
At his sentencing hearing, Pezzola asked US District Judge Timothy Kelly for leniency, calling himself a “changed and humble man.” Instead, Kelly applied a sentencing enhancement, which deemed Nordean and Pezzola’s actions to be acts of terrorism for the destruction of government property.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) continues to work through hundreds of cases from the Capitol riot in a race against the statute of limitations on the charges. The 5-year statute of limitations for most federal crimes means that the Department may not charge Capitol rioters after January 6, 2026. According to the DOJ, since January 6, 2021, federal law enforcement have arrested more than 1,106 individuals.
