Proud Boys Hawaii founder pleads guilty to felony charges for January 6 riot participation News
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Proud Boys Hawaii founder pleads guilty to felony charges for January 6 riot participation

Nicholas Ochs, founder of the Proud Boys Hawaii chapter, Friday pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding under 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2) for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Ochs and fellow defendent Nicholas DeCarlo of Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty to only one of seven charges in their plea agreements. The charge carries a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss of the offense. The plea agreements contain a waiver of the defendants’ right to appeal their sentences. The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice (DOJ) National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting both Ochs and DeCarlo.

In February 2021, a grand jury indicted both defendants. The indictment contained charges of conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, destruction of government property and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

The DOJ’s investigation remains ongoing. Since the riot, authorities have arrested more than 870 people and charged more than 265. Last month, police officer Thomas Robertson was sentenced to 87 months in prison for his participation in the January 6 riot.