Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the former chairman of the far-right group the Proud Boys, was found guilty alongside three other members on Thursday of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Prosecutors argued over the more than three-month-long trial that the Proud Boys, who allegedly viewed themselves as former President Donald Trump’s private army, intended to keep the former president in power through the use of violence.
Although lawyers for Tarrio and the other defendants attempted to shift the blame on Trump, text messages from Tarrio, including one in which he responded to the riot by saying “Make no mistake… We did this” ultimately convinced the jury.
Other messages sent among members of the group discussed keeping Trump in power “by any means necessary including force.”
While three men were charged with seditious conspiracy, five members of the group in total were on trial, including Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean, and Zachary Rehl, who were all convicted of suspicion. The jury was deadlocked on defendant Dominic Pezzola’s sedition charge.
The 10-count indictment also listed charges such as conspiring to obstruct Congress’s confirmation of the election result as well as obstructing the joint session of Congress. All defendants were found guilty of actual obstruction of Congress.
The seditious conspiracy and obstruction charges each carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
The charges come after two top members of the Oath Keepers militia were also convicted of seditious conspiracy for their role in the attack.
