1st September, 2023
A US Court has sentenced Ethan Nordean, leader of the Proud Boys, who are supporters of former President Donald Trump, to 18 years imprisonment over invasion of the Capitol in 2021.
A statement by Trump, falsely claiming that he won the presidential election of November 2020 and was fraudulently denied his victory, led to the invasion of Capitol on 6 January, 2021.
Another member of the group Dominic Pezzola was earlier on Friday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Reuters quoted U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly as saying that “if we don’t have a peaceful transfer of power in this country, we don’t have anything.”
Nordean had called Jan. 6 a complete and utter tragedy and that he had gone to the Capitol to be a leader and to keep people out of trouble.
He said while it is true that he wholeheartedly regret what he did that day, what he regretted more was not being a better leader
His attorney, Nick Smith, had argued for a sentence within the range of 15 to 21 months, but that was not to be as he was slammed with 18 years.
The other convict, Pezzola was found not guilty of sedition.
Prosecutors said his assault on former Capitol Police Officer Mark Ode, in which he stole Ode’s riot shield and used it to smash at a window at the Capitol, helped to justify a lengthy prison term.