(Washington) Four members of the far-right group the Proud Boys, who were involved in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, were found guilty of “treason” on Thursday, according to several US media outlets, a very rare charge.
Their former leader Enrique Dario was among the four condemned.
They were among five people on trial by a court in Washington, along with a crowd of supporters of Republican President Donald Trump, for causing chaos in the seat of Congress, when elected officials certified the election of his Democratic rival, Joe Biden. At the White House.
The jury could not agree on a charge of “treason” for the fifth defendant, but all five were found guilty of obstructing the work of Congress.
Since the attack on January 6, 2021, more than 950 supporters of former Republican President Donald Trump have been arrested and charged with sowing chaos in the seat of American democracy.
Six members of another far-right militia, the “Truth Guards”, have already been convicted of treason, with one leader sentenced to 20 years in prison, after two other trials that ended in November and January. To oppose the government.
Hard to prove, it is rarely used, and the earliest condemnation predates November and January, nearly a quarter of a century.
The trial of the five members of the Proud Boys began in December at a court in the federal capital.
Former Proud Boys ‘national leader’ Enrique Dario, who was arrested in Miami in March 2022, was not in Washington on January 6, but was suspected of leading an attack on the American Temple of Democracy by members of this neofascist organization.
Four of his accomplices were charged with direct involvement in the attack.
In a video of the event, one of them, Dominic Pesola, can be seen wielding a riot shield — stolen from police — and smashing a window of the Capitol.
“Food trailblazer. Passionate troublemaker. Coffee fanatic. General analyst. Certified creator. Lifelong music expert. Alcohol specialist.”