He was nicknamed the head of the “ministry of self-defense”. Ethan Nordean, former leader of the American far-right group Proud Boys, was sentenced on Friday 1er September to eighteen years in prison for his role in the January 2021 Capitol assault.
This prison sentence matches that of Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right militia Oath Keepers, which was the longest handed down for this attack. The 32-year-old was found guilty of conspiracy against US institutions. Dominic Pezzola, 45, was sentenced to ten years in prison.
According to Washington District Attorney Matthew Graves, the two men “conspired to prevent, hinder and delay” certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over incumbent President Donald Trump. On January 6, 2021, thousands of Republican supporters gathered in the federal capital to denounce the result of the 2020 election. A crowd stormed the Capitol, seat of the United States Congress, causing shock waves world.
Willing to “use violence if necessary”
Ethan Nordean had selected Dominic Pezzola and other militants to participate in the attack on the Capitol, according to Matthew Graves. The leaders of the Proud Boys had recruited people who would follow their orders and were “ready to resort to violence if necessary”, said the prosecutor. On the day of the attack, “Ethan Nordean, Dominic Pezzola and those they led participated in each of the major violations on Capitol Hill”, he added. Dominic Pezzola was notably sentenced for having broken a window of the Capitol, “allowing the first rioters to enter the building”.
Before their sentencing, both men had expressed remorse, with Ethan Nordean blaming his own leaders. But on Friday, minutes after being fixed on his fate, Dominic Pezzola raised his fist shouting “Trump won”according to people in the room.
On Thursday, two other Proud Boys leaders were sentenced to seventeen and fifteen years in prison for their role in the attack. Since January 6, 2021, more than 1,100 people have been arrested and charged. More than half were sentenced, mostly to prison terms.