In addition to Tarrio, Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl were convicted of seditious conspiracy – a plot to oppose the government with force – under a Civil War-era law. Dominic Pezzola, the only one of the five defendants who did not play a leadership role in the Proud Boys, was acquitted of the charge. The trial of the Proud Boys members was the longest of any of those arising from the Capitol attack, with the jury hearing about 50 days of testimony since January. ADVERTISEMENTDuring closing arguments, prosecutor Conor Mulroe said the Proud Boys viewed themselves as a “fighting force lined up behind Donald Trump and ready to commit violence on his behalf” in order to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Defense lawyers told the jury their clients had no plans to attack the Capitol and had traveled to Washington merely to protest.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 05, 2023 08:15 UTC