Federal prosecutors announced on Friday night the first charges of conspiracy against members of the Proud Boys over the group’s role in the January 6 deadly riot on Capitol Hill.
Prosecutors said in a press release that two members of the far-right group “Western Chauvinist” conspired to obstruct police efforts to protect Capitol from the crowd. The members, Dominic Pezzola of Rochester, NY, and William Pepe de Beacon, NY, had already been charged with minor offenses in their activities on January 6.
The new charges represented a substantial advance in prosecutors’ actions against members of the Proud Boys. More than 170 people were indicted for the riot, although most were charged with minor charges, such as disorderly conduct and illegal entry.
Conspiracy charges were also previously announced against three members of the Oath Keepers militia group because of their alleged role in chaos on Capitol Hill.
Prosecutors said Pezzola and Pepe “were involved in a conspiracy to obstruct, influence, prevent and interfere with the officers involved in their official duties in protecting the United States Capitol and its dependencies on January 6, 2021”.
“It is alleged that Pezzola and Pepe took steps to evade and render ineffective the protective equipment deployed by the Capitol Police in active disturbance control measures, including actions to remove temporary metal barricades erected by the Capitol Police in order to control access to the surroundings of the Capitol, and the theft and theft of property belonging to the Capitol Police, ”the Department of Justice said in the press release.
Pezzola also reportedly pulled a riot shield from a Capitol Police officer while the officer tried to push the protesters away. Files recovered when FBI agents broke into his home indicated that he was examining “Advanced improvised explosives”, “Explosive dust” and “Ragnar’s Great Book of Homemade Weapons”.
Michael Scibetta, Pezzola’s lawyer, told The New York Times on Friday night that he had not yet seen the new conspiracy charges and was being prevented from seeing his client.
“The issue is evolving,” said Scibetta.
The Proud Boys, a group known for defending racist views, gained national prominence after videos circulated of members engaged in violent street fights with members of Antifa, the loose collection of anti-fascist agitators. Your profile only grew when previous President Trump
Donald TrumpPalm Beach reviewing Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence Immigration reform can’t wait on money: five questions about the controversial GameStop | Biden and Yellen call for quick action on new aid MORE he refused to explicitly condemn them in a presidential debate, saying “stay behind and wait”, an observation that the group interpreted as supportive.
They drew the scrutiny of prosecutors after videos showed members who attended the riots that led to the deaths of several people.
At least four other members of the Proud Boys have so far been charged with the insurrection, which unsuccessfully tried to prevent Congressional certification of Electoral College results that show Trump losing to now President Biden.