Joseph Biggs was handed a 17-year sentence, the second longest among the numerous Capitol riot cases so far – only surpassed by the\u00a018-year prison sentence<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0handed to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.<\/p>\n Proud Boys chapter leader Zachary Rehl was given a 15-year sentence for seditious conspiracy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Federal prosecutors had initially recommended a 33-year prison sentence for Biggs since he played a prominent role in leading dozens of Proud Boys members and associates in their march to the Capitol.<\/p>\n Alongside other Proud Boys, Biggs joined the mob that breached police lines, causing legislators to flee and interrupting Congress’ joint session to certify Mr Biden’s electoral victory.<\/p>\n During his sentencing, Biggs expressed remorse and acknowledged his wrongdoing.<\/p>\n “I know that I messed up that day,” he told the judge just before being sentenced, “but I’m not a terrorist”.<\/p>\n The judge who sentenced Biggs and Rehl will also be responsible for sentencing other convicted Proud Boys.<\/p>\n They were found guilty by a jury in May after a four-month trial that exposed the far-right extremists’ endorsement of baseless claims made by Mr Trump that the election was stolen from him.<\/p>\n Enrique Tarrio, the former national chairman and top leader of the Proud Boys, is set to be sentenced next week.<\/p>\n He was notably absent in Washington on January 6 as he had been arrested two days prior for allegedly defacing a Black Lives Matter banner during a previous rally.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tarrio adhered to a judge’s order to leave the city following his arrest and entrusted Biggs and Proud Boys chapter president Ethan Nordean to lead the group in his absence.<\/p>\n Biggs, who hails from Ormond Beach, Florida, had identified himself as a Proud Boys organiser.<\/p>\n Prior to this, he had served in the US army for eight years before receiving a medical discharge in 2013.<\/p>\n He then worked as a correspondent for Infowars, a website operated by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.<\/p>\n In addition to Biggs and Rehl, Tarrio and Nordean were convicted of seditious conspiracy charges, a rarely pursued offence in the US dating back to the country’s Civil War era.<\/p>\n Read more: Another Proud Boys member, Dominic Pezzola, was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but faced other serious charges.<\/p>\n Prosecutors recommended sentences of 33 years for Tarrio, 30 years for Rehl, 27 years for Nordean, and 20 years for Pezzola.<\/p>\n Sentencing for Pezzola and Nordean is set for Friday.<\/p>\n Defence lawyers argued their clients were unjustly held accountable for the violent actions of other Trump supporters present at the Capitol.<\/p>\n More than 1,100 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riots, with around 600 having already been convicted and sentenced.<\/p>\n Apart from Rhodes, six members of the anti-government Oath Keepers were also convicted of seditious conspiracy after a separate trial last year.<\/p>\n Source: \u00a0![\"Proud](\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/23\/08\/768x432\/skynews-zachary-rehl-capitol_6269792.jpg?20230831215233\")
<\/div>![\"Proud](\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/23\/08\/768x432\/skynews-joseph-biggs-biggs_6269614.jpg?20230831184422\")
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\nHow Proud Boys secretly planned to overthrow democracy<\/a>
\nCapitol riot trial date sets for clash with primaries<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Sky](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/sky-news-logo-1.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/a> news.sky.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"