Proud Boys Senior Member To Plead Guilty To U.S. Capitol Riot Charges

Pro-Trump protester clash with Capitol police during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021. Reuters / Shannon Stapleton

A leader of the far-right Proud Boys is expected to plea guilty on Friday to charges related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a court filing, a victory for prosecutors that could bolster their cases against members of the group.

A plea hearing for Charles Donohoe, the leader of the group's North Carolina chapter at the time of the Capitol attack, is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET (15:00 GMT). The court papers did not make clear exactly what charges he would plead guilty to.

Donohoe, 34, was arrested in March 2021 and charged with conspiring to impede federal officers protecting the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and obstructing an official proceeding, among other charges. He has been in custody since last year.

Donald Trump's supporters stormed the seat of Congress that day in a bid to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

Donohoe and other Proud Boys were videotaped leading a crowd toward the Capitol during the riot. In court filings, the U.S. Department of Justice said they helped lead the break in of the Capitol. The men dispute the charges.

"Mr. Donohoe is charged with interfering in the nation's peaceful transfer of power," Kelly said during a court hearing in June, adding that the charges are "gravely serious matters that favor detention."

An indictment unsealed last month alleged that Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio was deeply involved in recruiting members of the group and directing their actions in the days prior to the Jan. 6 attack.

Tarrio's attorney entered the not guilty plea on his behalf during a virtual hearing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

(The story is refiled to correct spelling of defendant's last name in paras 3 and 5)