A former leader in the Proud Boys took the witness stand Tuesday to fight seditious conspiracy and other serious charges in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, telling jurors the group had “no objective” that day.
One other defendant, Dominic Pezzola of Rochester, New York, is also expected testify before the long-running trial comes to a close as soon as next week.
He said he joined the group in 2018 to build his network as he tried to launch a business, though he acknowledged it likely had the opposite effect. He framed his membership in the group as more of a social way to drink with friends, and referred to Trump as a businessman he had respected since childhood but also a “loudmouth.”
His social-media messages cited by prosecutors included one from on Nov. 27, 2020, that said, “Hopefully the firing squads are for the traitors that are trying to steal the election from the American people.” Former Proud Boys who have testified for the prosecution after pleading guilty to criminal charges have said that while they weren't aware of a detailed plan for storming the Capitol, they shared a common goal to keep Trump in office.
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Proud Boys Leaders' Jan. 6 Sedition Trial Inches to a Close After Almost Three MonthsA jury will soon decide whether the onetime leader of the Proud Boys extremist group is guilty in one of the most serious cases brought in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
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Proud Boys leaders' Jan. 6 sedition trial inches to a closeA jury will soon decide whether the onetime leader of the Proud Boys extremist group is guilty in one of the most serious cases brought in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Read more »
Proud Boys leaders' Jan. 6 sedition trial inches to a closeA jury will soon decide whether the onetime leader of the Proud Boys extremist group is guilty in one of the most serious cases brought in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Closing arguments could be as early as this week before jurors in Washington, D.C., decide whether to convict Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants of seditious conspiracy. Defense attorneys have argued that there is no evidence of a plan for the Proud Boys to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6. The case is expected to go to the jury after almost three months of testimony, dozens of witnesses and countless legal fights.
Read more »
Proud Boys leaders' Jan. 6 sedition trial inches to a closeAfter almost three months of testimony, dozens of witnesses and countless legal fights, a jury will soon decide whether the onetime leader of the Proud Boys extremist group is guilty in one of the most serious cases brought in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Closing arguments could be as early as this week before jurors decide whether to convict Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors say was a plot to forcibly stop the transfer of presidential power from Republican Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden after the 2020 election. In a trial that has lasted over twice as long as expected, little new information has emerged about the Jan. 6 attack that halted Congress' certification of Biden's victory or the far-right extremist group's role in the Capitol riot.
Read more »
Proud Boys leaders' Jan. 6 sedition trial inches to a closeA jury will soon decide whether the onetime leader of the Proud Boys extremist group is guilty in one of the most serious cases brought in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Read more »
Proud Boys leaders’ Jan. 6 sedition trial inches to a closeAfter almost three months of testimony, dozens of witnesses and countless legal fights, a jury will soon decide whether the onetime leader of the Proud Boys extremist group is guilty in one of the most serious cases brought in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Read more »