A man from the Proud Boys group was given a prison sentence of 10 years for leading the attack on the US Capitol. He broke into the building using a police shield and recorded himself smoking a celebratory cigar.
Dominic Pezzola, a 46-year-old man who used to be in the US Marine, had a physical altercation with the officers during the attack on Congress on January 6, 2021.
He was found guilty of attacking police officers and interfering with a government process.
Another member of the Proud Boys group, Ethan Nordean, will receive his punishment for a more severe charge of seditious conspiracy on Friday.
A video selfie taken during the riot shows Pezzola smoking a celebratory cigar inside the Capitol building.
On Friday, Pezzola, who was feeling emotional, showed some regret for what he did. The judge heard from his wife, daughter, and mother. His mother said he was a great child who never caused any problems.
After the judge finished giving the prison sentence and left, he shouted: “Trump won. ”
The Proud Boys, a group that began as a social club for drinking, considered themselves as supporters of Donald Trump and were one of the first to participate in the demonstration at the Capitol on January 6th. The people causing a disturbance broke through the police lines and went inside the building to try to stop Congress from approving Joe Biden‘s win in the election.
Pezzola and Nordean were part of a group. They were taken to court with three other people from the same group. These people include a former chairman named Enrique Tarrio, and two military veterans named Joe Biggs and Zachary Rehl.
On Thursday, Biggs and Rehl were given prison sentences of 17 and 15 years each. Tarrio will be given his punishment next week and could possibly go to prison for 33 years.
Proud Boy extremists are now targeting drag shows.
Out of the group of five people, Pezzola was the only one found not guilty of seditious conspiracy. This charge is given to those who are accused of planning to overthrow the government or use force to stop laws from being enforced.
But the prosecutors said that Pezzola’s violent actions during the riot deserved a severe punishment.
Prosecutors wrote in a document that Pezzola’s actions and testimony clearly show that he wanted to scare or force the government to act a certain way. “He did bad things related to terrorism on January 6th. ”
On Friday, Judge Timothy Kelly told Pezzola that he had an important part in the Capitol riot, even though he wasn’t a leader in the Proud Boys group.
Judge Kelly said that what happened was a disgrace for the whole country.
During the trial, Pezzola argued that the people in the crowd were protesters who were trespassing, not an invading force. He kept minimizing his own actions during the riot.
He also said that he acted that way because he fell back on his military training when he saw the police trying to break up the crowd by using non-lethal weapons.
“In the army and Marine Corps, you never go in the opposite direction and escape,” Pezzola stated.
“You are trained to not consider the instinct to flee. ” You are trained to move toward the danger.
In an interview with the Washington Post after he was found guilty, Pezzola said the trial was completely unfair and repeated strange claims that the riot was a planned event by government officials and informants.
Ethan Nordean, who was seen as a leader in the Proud Boys, is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.
During the trial, the prosecutors mentioned that he played a role in planning and organizing the group both before and during the riot. This included soliciting donations for communication devices and safety equipment.
Over 1,100 people have been arrested for causing riots. Out of those arrested, 630 people have admitted their guilt and over 110 people have been found guilty.
The Oath Keepers founder, Stewart Rhodes, received the longest prison sentence to date, which is 18 years, in May.