A jury on Thursday found four members of the far-right paramilitary group Proud Boys, including former leader Enrique Tario, guilty of seditious conspiracy (the crime of conspiring and inciting rebellion), finding that they planned to attack the US Congress complex on June 6. January 2021 to prevent the confirmation of the election victory of President Joseph Biden.
The jury's decision after a nearly four-month trial represents another victory for the Justice Department, which indicted more than 1.000 people in connection with the riots at the Capitol, which were caused by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Several members of another far-right paramilitary group - the Oath Keepers - were found guilty in earlier trials.
In addition to Tario, Ethan Nordin, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rel were also found guilty of seditious conspiracy - a crime under the law adopted during the Civil War. On this charge, they could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Tario, Nordin, Biggs, Rel and a fifth member - Dominik Pezola - were also found guilty of other crimes - obstruction of official process, conspiracy to prevent Congress from doing its duty and obstructing law enforcement during civil unrest.
Nordin, Biggs, Rel and Tario were acquitted of assaulting or obstructing police officers, of which Pezola was found guilty.
More than 500 people have pleaded guilty to charges brought by the Justice Department after the Capitol riots. About 80 were found guilty in the trials. Among them is the founder of "Oath Keepers" Stuart Rhodes and several members of that group.
The trial of members of the "Proud Boys" group is the longest so far on charges related to the attack on the Capitol. A 12-member jury has heard testimony in a federal courtroom in Washington for 50 days since January.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Conor Malraux told jurors Monday that the "Proud Boys" saw themselves as "fighters behind Donald Trump who are willing to commit violence in his name" to reverse his 2020 election defeat.
Prosecutors alleged during the trial that Tario and other defendants bought equipment for the attack and invited members of the group to come to Washington.
Of the five defendants, all but Tario entered the Capitol during the attack, and prosecutors say they were among the first to break through the barricades around the building. Tario was not in Washington that day, but prosecutors say he planned the attack from Baltimore because he was banned from the U.S. capital after he was arrested Jan. 4 for burning a Black Lives Matter flag in a church.
The Capitol was attacked on the day members of Congress voted to formally confirm Biden's victory in the November 2020 election. Rioters attacked the police with various types of weapons, and before the attack, Trump called on supporters to go to the Capitol and "fight like hell" in a speech, repeating false claims that the election was stolen.
During or after the riots, five people were killed, including a policeman. More than 140 police officers were injured.
Defense attorneys argued that their clients did not plan to attack the Capitol and that they had come to Washington to protest. They also tried to blame Trump, saying he called the protesters to the Capitol.
"They (prosecutors) wanted to use Enrique Tari as a scapegoat for Donald Trump and those in power," his lawyer said during closing arguments.
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