By Steve Neavling
Five members of the right-wing extremist group, the Proud Boys, were charged Monday with seditious conspiracy for their actions ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Henry “Enrique” Torrio, the group’s longtime leader, was among those charged. Four top associates – Ethan Nordean, 31; Joseph Biggs, 38; Zachary Rehl, 37; and Dominic Pezzola, 44 – also were charged.
They are accused of plotting to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s election as early as December 2020.
They are set to make their first court appearances on Thursday in Washington.
The Proud Boys described themselves as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists.”
The FBI is investigating the case, and it’s being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 people have been arrested for their role in the U.S. Capitol riot. Of those, 250 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
