Four Far-right Proud Boys Convicted Of Sedition Over Capitol Attack

Four members of the far-right Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy on Thursday for their roles in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump.

Enrique Tarrio, the former "national chairman" of the Proud Boys, and three other members of the neofascist organization were found guilty after a high-profile trial in the nation's capital, US media reported.

Tarrio and four of his lieutenants -- Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola -- were accused of trying to stop the certification by Congress of Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory over Trump.

Tarrio was not in Washington on January 6 but was accused of directing the storming of the Capitol by members of the Proud Boys.

Tarrio, Biggs, Nordean and Rehl were convicted of seditious conspiracy, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while the jury deadlocked after seven days of deliberations over the sedition charge facing Pezzola.

All five, however, were convicted of several other charges including obstruction of Congress, impeding law enforcement and destruction of government property.

Pezzola was also convicted of robbery of US property. In widely viewed video footage from January 6, Pezzola can be seen using a riot shield stolen from police to break a window at the Capitol.

The success of federal prosecutors in obtaining convictions for sedition among the January 6 rioters could raise the stakes for Trump and his advisors in the Justice Department's investigation into whether they plotted or fomented the Capitol attack.

More than 900 people have been arrested in connection with the storming of Congress by Trump supporters, but only a handful have been charged with seditious conspiracy.

Two leaders of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers, were found guilty of seditious conspiracy last year, including its founder, Stewart Rhodes.

According to Tarrio's indictment, he met with Rhodes on January 5 in an underground parking garage in Washington and was in contact with members of the Proud Boys who breached the Capitol.

In January, four other members of the Oath Keepers were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, fortifying the government's argument that the January 6 attack was not simply a spontaneous action, but that there was significant planning and coordination involved.

The assault on Congress left at least five people dead and 140 police officers injured and followed a fiery speech by Trump to thousands of his supporters near the White House.

Trump was impeached for a historic second time by the House of Representatives after the Capitol riot -- he was charged with inciting an insurrection -- but was acquitted by the Senate.

A House committee which investigated the Capitol riot recommended that the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against Trump.

Attorney General Merrick Garland named a special counsel to oversee the probe into January 6 and the former president's efforts to overturn the 2020 election result.

Three weeks before the violence, Trump urged his supporters to descend on Washington on January 6, tweeting: "Be there, will be wild."

Trump is also facing possible indictment in Georgia for allegedly pressuring local officials to change the election results in the southern state.

The special counsel is also looking into a cache of classified documents that the FBI seized in a raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence last year.