Proud Boys Leaders Charged with Conspiracy to Undermine U.S. Democracy

On Thursday, prosecutors charged the leaders of the far-right group Proud Boys with conspiracy to undermine American democracy.

One of the most high-profile trials related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol began today.

In his opening statement, federal prosecutor Jason McCullough told jurors that Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and four other defendants engaged in incitement to violent sedition to help Donald Trump stay in office after he lost the 2020 presidential election.

Proud Boys members Ethan Nordin, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rela and Dominic Pezzola are charged with being among the first mob members to break through the barricades erected to protect the Capitol. North Carolina Proud Boys leader Charles Donohoe pleaded guilty to other charges in April 2022 and could potentially be called as a witness in the case.

“On Jan. 6, they were aiming for the heart of our democracy,” McCullough told the jury.

The case is the third time the Justice Department has charged members of extremist groups with conspiracy to incite, after Trump supporters invaded the Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent lawmakers from confirming his defeat in the November 2020 election.

Stuart Rhodes, founder of the far-right paramilitary group Oath Keepers, and another defendant were found guilty of seditious conspiracy in November, and four other members of the group are on trial.

A Civil War law prohibiting conspiracy to overthrow or destroy the government carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors have filed criminal charges against more than 950 people since the attack. The Justice Department is also investigating attempts by Trump’s advisers to overturn his electoral defeat.