Joseph Biggs, a former organizer of the far-right Proud Boys group, has been handed a 17-year prison sentence for his pivotal role in orchestrating the assault on the US Capitol. The attack on January 6, 2021 aimed to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election.
Biggs’ sentence is the second lengthiest among the various Capitol riot cases to date, being surpassed only by the 18-year prison term given to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.
Initially, federal prosecutors had recommended a 33-year prison sentence for Biggs, considering his prominent leadership in guiding a contingent of Proud Boys members and associates during their march to the Capitol.
As part of the mob that breached police lines, Biggs and other Proud Boys contributed to the chaos that led legislators to evacuate and disrupted Congress’ joint session for certifying Mr. Biden’s electoral win. During his sentencing, Biggs expressed remorse and accepted responsibility, stating, “I know that I messed up that day, but I’m not a terrorist.”
The same judge who sentenced Biggs will also oversee the sentencing of four other convicted Proud Boys. This group was found guilty by a jury in May after a four-month trial that exposed their endorsement of baseless claims propagated by Mr. Trump regarding the election’s legitimacy.
Enrique Tarrio, the former national chairman and prominent leader of the Proud Boys, is scheduled for sentencing next week. He was notably absent during the Capitol attack due to his arrest two days earlier for allegedly defacing a Black Lives Matter banner at a prior rally. Abiding by a judge’s order, Tarrio left the city post-arrest, leaving Biggs and Proud Boys chapter president Ethan Nordean in charge.
Biggs, based in Ormond Beach, Florida, had identified as a Proud Boys organizer. Prior to this, he had served in the US Army for eight years before receiving a medical discharge in 2013. He later worked as a correspondent for Infowars, a website associated with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Aside from Biggs, Tarrio, and Nordean, Proud Boys chapter leader Zachary Rehl was also convicted of seditious conspiracy charges—a rarely pursued offense in the US with historical roots dating back to the Civil War era. Dominic Pezzola, another Proud Boys member, was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but faced other serious charges.
Prosecutors recommended sentences of 33 years for Tarrio, 30 years for Rehl, 27 years for Nordean, and 20 years for Pezzola. Sentencing for Rehl is slated for later today, with Pezzola and Nordean set to be sentenced on Friday.
Defense attorneys argued that their clients were unfairly held accountable for the violent actions of other Trump supporters present during the Capitol attack. Over 1,100 individuals have been charged with federal crimes linked to the Capitol riots, with roughly 600 having already been convicted and sentenced. Additionally, six members of the anti-government Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy in a separate trial last year, alongside Rhodes.
