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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 7 June 2022
Proud Boys charged with seditious conspiracy in Capitol riot

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Proud Boys, whose mem-
and ALANNA DURKIN RICH- bers describe it as a politi-
ER cally incorrect men’s club
Associated Press for “Western chauvinists.”
The former top leader of They have brawled with
the far-right Proud Boys antifascist activists at ral-
extremist group and other lies and protests. Vice Me-
members were charged dia co-founder Gavin Mc-
Monday with seditious con- Innes, who founded the
spiracy for what federal Proud Boys in 2016, sued
prosecutors say was a co- the Southern Poverty Law
ordinated attack on the Center for labeling it as a
U.S. Capitol to stop Con- hate group.
gress from certifying Presi- The indictment alleges that
dent Joe Biden’s 2020 elec- the Proud Boys held meet-
toral victory. ings and communicated
The latest indictment over encrypted messages
against Henry “Enrique” to plan for the attack in the
Tarrio, the former Proud days leading up to Jan. 6.
Boys chairman, and four On the day of the riot, au-
others linked to the group thorities say Proud Boys dis-
comes as the U.S. House Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio wears a hat that says The War Boys and smokes a cigarette at a mantled metal barricades
committee investigating rally in Delta Park on Sept. 26, 2020, in Portland, Ore. set up to protect the Capi-
the Jan. 6 riot prepares to Associated Press tol and mobilized, directed
begin public hearings this ciates of the anti-govern- Tarrio, the group’s top lead- ously represent him through and led members of the
week to lay out its findings. ment Oath Keepers militia er, wasn’t in Washington, that process,” said Nayib crowd into the building.
The indictment alleges that group, including its found- D.C., when the riot erupted Hassan. Prosecutors have said the
the Proud Boys conspired er and leader Stewart on Jan. 6, 2021, but authori- Defense attorney Carmen Proud Boys arranged for
to forcibly oppose the law- Rhodes, were indicted in ties say he helped put into Hernendez, who represents members to communicate
ful transfer of presidential January on seditious con- motion the violence that Rehl, said her client is “as in- using specific frequencies
power. Tarrio and the oth- spiracy charges in a serious day. nocent of these charges as on Baofeng radios. The Chi-
ers — Ethan Nordean, Jo- escalation in the largest Police arrested Tarrio in the ones that had already nese-made devices can
seph Biggs, Zachary Rehl investigation in the Justice Washington two days be- been pending against be programmed for use on
and Dominic Pezzola — Department’s history. fore the riot and charged him.” hundreds of frequencies,
were previously charged Three Oath Keepers have him with vandalizing a “Seditious conspiracy re- making it difficult for outsid-
with different conspiracy already pleaded guilty to Black Lives Matter banner quires the use of force, and ers to eavesdrop.
counts. the rarely used Civil War- at a historic Black church he never used any force Shortly before the riot, au-
They are scheduled to era charge that calls for during a protest in Decem- nor thought about using thorities say Tarrio posted
stand trial in August in up to 20 years in prison. The ber 2020. Tarrio was re- any force,” Hernandez on social media that the
Washington, D.C.’s federal indictment alleges that the leased from jail on Jan. 14 said. group planned to turn out
court. Oath Keepers and their as- after serving his five-month More than three dozen in “record numbers” on
The seditious conspiracy sociates prepared in the sentence for that case. people charged in the Jan. 6, but would be “in-
charges are among the weeks leading up to Jan. An attorney for Tarrio said Capitol siege have been cognito” instead of don-
most serious filed so far, but 6 as if they were going to his client “is going to have identified by federal au- ning their traditional cloth-
aren’t the first of their kind. war, discussing things like his day in court.” thorities as leaders, mem- ing colors of black and
Eleven members or asso- weapons and training. “And we intend to vigor- bers or associates of the yellow.q

High court won’t hear appeal over

McCloskeys’ law licenses

injustice protesters outside Supreme Court might find organization is known for
their St. Louis mansion in significant,” McCloskey hidden camera stings that
2020. said. have embarrassed news
Mark McCloskey, who is The Missouri Supreme Court outlets, labor organizations
seeking the Republican in February placed the cou- and Democratic politi-
nomination for one of Mis- ple’s licenses on probation cians.
souri’s U.S. Senate seats in for one year, allowing them Mark McCloskey has said
the August primary, said to continue to practice he and his wife felt threat-
he wasn’t surprised by the law. They must also provide ened in June 2020 when
high court’s decision since 100 hours of free legal ser- demonstrators walked onto
In this photo, armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey, it takes up relatively few vice. The appeal to the U.S. their private street during
stand in front their house confronting protesters marching to St. cases. Supreme Court sought to global protests that fol-
Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson’s house in the Central West End of St. “I was a little disappointed end the probation. lowed the death of George
Louis on June 28, 2020.
Associated Press because I thought that the Last month, the state’s high Floyd in Minneapolis. Mark
concept of a lawyer being court denied the McClo- McCloskey emerged from
By JIM SALTER Patricia McCloskey, the sanctioned for doing no skeys’ request to provide his home with an AR-15-
Associated Press husband-and-wife attor- more than just defending free legal service to the style rifle, and Patricia Mc-
The U.S. Supreme Court on neys whose law licenses himself and exercising his conservative activist group Closkey waved a semi-
Monday declined to hear were placed on probation Second Amendment rights Project Veritas to meet the automatic pistol. No shots
an appeal from Mark and for pointing guns at racial would be an issue that the pro bono requirement. The were fired.q