WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury was selected Monday to try former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four other far-right extremist groups accused of conspiring to obstruct a presidential transition by attacking the U.S. Capitol after 2020. elections.
Jurors are expected to hear opening statements from attorneys in Washington federal court on Wednesday after the group is sworn in, defense attorney Carmen Hernandez said. This is one of the most serious cases stemming from the uprising that prevented Congress from confirming the victory of President Joe Biden.
Jury selection took 10 days of interrogation, as many potential jurors spoke negatively about the Proud Boys. Ultimately, the selected group includes seven men and nine women, according to WUSA-TV.
Tarrio and his co-defendants could face up to 20 years behind bars if found guilty of sedition. The opening statements come more than a month after jurors found two leaders of another extremist group, the Oath Keepers, guilty of a mutinous conspiracy that prosecutors say was a separate conspiracy to obstruct the transfer of presidential power.
The November 29 convictions of Oath Keepers founder Stuart Rhodes and Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs were the first subversive conspiracy convictions in decades. The trial of four other oath-keepers charged with sedition began earlier this month in Washington.
Tarrio of Miami was the national chairman of the Proud Boys when a mob that included several members stormed the Capitol on January 6.
Defense lawyers said there was never a plan to go to the Capitol or stop Congressional approval of the results of the vote.
The other defendants — Ethan Nordin, Zachary Rel, Dominic Pezzola and Joseph Biggs — are also charged with riot-related offenses other than sedition. A charge of sedition carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Tarrio was not in Washington on January 6th. Police arrested him two days earlier on charges of vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic black church during a protest in December 2020. Tarrio left the country’s capital on the eve of the riot.
Prosecutors allege that even after his arrest, Tarrio continued to command the Proud Boys that attacked the Capitol on January 6 and cheered for their actions from afar. When the rioters broke into the building, he posted on social media “don’t leave (expletive)” followed by “We did it…”
Nordin, Pezzola, Biggs and Rel were part of the first wave of rioters who broke into the Capitol grounds and forced their way through police barricades to the building, prosecutors said. Pezzola used a shield he stole from a Capitol police officer to smash a window, allowing the first rioters to enter the building, prosecutors allege.
Nordin of Auburn, Washington was president of the Proud Boys chapter. Biggs of Ormond Beach, Florida identified himself as a Proud Boys organizer. Rel was president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Proud Boys. Pezzola was a member of the Proud Boys from Rochester, New York.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the Capitol Riot at https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege.
