Philadelphia man charged with sedition tied to January 6 U.S. Capitol riot
Zachary Rehl, a Philadelphia man, and four other members of the Proud Boys have been charged with seditious conspiracy, a serious federal charge that's less than treason but carries a maximum of 20 years in jail.
A grand jury returned a superseding indictment Monday against Rehl, 37, the leader of the Philadelphia chapter of the Proud Boys; Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, 38, of Miami, Florida, who is the former national chairman of the Proud Boys; Joseph Biggs, 38, of Ormond Beach, Florida; Ethan Nordean, 31, of Auburn, Washington; and Dominic Pezzola, 44, of Rochester, New York. All of them, previously indicted by grand juries, have been in jail since their initial arrests last year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The five men "conspired to prevent, hinder and delay the certification of the Electoral College vote, and to oppose by force the authority of the government of the United States" before and on Jan. 6, 2021, the day of a "Stop the Steal" rally for then-President Donald Trump, according to the Justice Department.
On Nov. 27, 2020, Rehl, the son and grandson of Philadelphia police officers, wrote on social media: "Hopefully the firing squads are for the traitors that are trying to steal the election from the American people," according to the indictment against him.
Tarrio created a special chapter of the Proud Boys in December 2020, called the "Ministry of Self Defense," a group of "hand selected members," according to the indictment. The other four men were part of that group as was Charles Donohoe, 34, of Kernersville, North Carolina, who has pleaded guilty to lesser charges
Those men "directed, mobilized and led members of the crowd onto the Capitol grounds and into the Capitol, leading to dismantling of metal barricades, destruction of property, breaching of the Capitol building, and assaults on law enforcement," according to the Justice Department.
The men took credit, on social media, for what happened that day at the U.S. Capitol. They have all been charged with other crimes including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties, obstruction of law enforcement and destruction of government property, among others.
Rehl previously pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
The Proud Boys, a male-only organization, "regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists. They are known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric. Proud Boys have appeared alongside other hate groups at extremist gatherings such as the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
These cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.
Pennsylvania arrests:64 people from this state have been arrested in connection with the Capitol riot
Members of the Oath Keepers have also been indicted on seditious conspiracy.
The Oath Keepers "are often confrontational and have participated in multiple armed standoffs against the government," according to the SPLC. The group's recruiting efforts focus on members of the military and law enforcement.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Philadelphia man charged with sedition in U.S. Capitol riot
