US: Four members of the far-right Proud Boys militia, including its former leader Enrique Tarrio, were found guilty on Thursday of seditious conspiracy after a jury found they planned to attack the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.
More than 600 people were convicted in connection with the rampage
The verdicts following a trial that lasted nearly four months in federal court in Washington gave the US Justice Department another victory. According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, more than 600 people were convicted in connection with the rampage by supporters of then-President Donald Trump in the Capitol. Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, another far-right militia, was earlier found guilty.
The Justice Department will do everything in its power to defend the American people
In addition, the 12-member jury convicted Tarrio, Nordean, Biggs, Rehl, and Pezzola guilty of other offences, such as impeding an official action, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in jail. Additionally, they were found guilty of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disturbance and conspiring to prevent Congress from carrying out its duties. As a result of the jury’s inability to agree on a few counts, US District Court Judge Timothy Kelly declared a mistrial. The men who were found guilty, according to Garland, were instrumental in starting a ‘heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy – the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government.’ ‘Today’s verdict makes clear that the Justice Department will do everything in its power to defend the American people and American democracy,’ Garland continued.
Rioters attacked police with deadly weapons
Actually this riot occur in November 2020 Elections, when Congress was voting formally to Certify Biden’s Victory. Rioters attacked police with deadly weapons. Trump repeated his untrue assertions that the election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud in a fiery speech to supporters just before the violence, urging them to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell” in addition to calling for them to go. A police officer was among the five people who passed away during or immediately after the riot. Over 140 police officers sustained injuries.
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The Longest of All the Trials stemming from the Capitol attack
The jury heard testimony in the Proud Boys trial for roughly 50 days starting in January, making it the longest of all the trials stemming from the Capitol attack. The jury found the other defendants guilty of conspiracy to hinder an official procedure, but they could not agree on whether to convict Pezzola on that allegation. Additionally, the jury was unable to find all of the defendants guilty of certain other charges involving damage to Capitol property and assaults on law enforcement.
Some defence attorneys made the claim that Trump was to blame
Tarrio and the other defendants, some of whom served as state chapter leaders, bought paramilitary equipment for the assault and persuaded members of the self-described “Western chauvinist group” to visit Washington, according to the prosecution’s case against them. Defence attorneys told the jury that their clients had only come to Washington, D.C., to protest and had no plans to attack the Capitol. Some defence attorneys made the claim that Trump was to blame for encouraging protesters to gather outside the Capitol. All save Tarrio of the five accused entered the Capitol during the assault. According to the prosecution, they were some of the first to charge past barriers set up to guard the structure. Tarrio wasn’t there that day, in Washington. But according to prosecutors, after being arrested on January 4 for burning a Black Lives Matter banner at a church, a judge ordered him to stay away from Washington and he allegedly directed the attack from Baltimore. Charles Donohoe, a sixth defendant, pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to hinder an official procedure last year.
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