Politico | Proud Boys leaders face new conspiracy charges related to January 6 Capitol riot
- The charges allege that the four Proud Boys members orchestrated a strategy to overwhelm Capitol Police officers
- All four are considered regional leaders of the Proud Boys organisation, with close ties to the group’s national leader Enrique Tarrio
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein on politico.com on March 19, 2021.
Prosecutors unveiled new conspiracy charges on Friday against four leaders of the Proud Boys, the pro-Trump extremist group that took part in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, charging them with a plot to disrupt Congress’ certification of the 2020 election.
All four are considered regional leaders of the Proud Boys organisation, with close ties to the group’s national leader Enrique Tarrio.
The charges are arguably the most significant levelled in the 10 weeks since a mob of Donald Trump supporters – seeded with cells of organised extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers – stormed the Capitol, sent politicians and vice-president at the time Mike Pence fleeing for safety and injured more than 100 police officers.