Four members of the far-right group Proud Boys, among them their leader Enrique Tarrio, were found guilty this Thursday of conspire to commit sedition for the January 6, 2021 assault on the United States Capitol.

Aside from Tarrio, of Cuban origin, the other three members of the Proud Boys found guilty of that charge are Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl. For that accusation alone, each of the four could face a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

There is one more defendant, Dominic Pezzola, who is still awaiting the verdict of the jury on that specific charge, since he does not belong to the leadership of the Proud Boys nor was he active in their chats when the attack occurred. attack on the headquarters of the US Congress.

An attack for the elections with 5 dead

Even so, the judge has ordered that the jury continue with its deliberations on Pezzola and other charges against Tarrio, Nordean, Biggs and Rehl. In addition, those four Proud Boys officials were found guilty of conspiring to obstruct the certification of the results of the November 2020 Election, in which Democrat Joe Biden defeated then-President Donald Trump.

In addition, the jury found guilty all five of a third count of conspiracy to interfere with the functions of members of Congress that day. “Today’s verdict demonstrates that the Justice Department will do everything in its power to defend the American people and democracy,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an appearance before the press.

Garland assured that the assault on the Capitol is “one of the largest, most complex investigations and with the most resources allocated in history,” which has resulted in 600 convictions to date. The verdicts came after seven days of deliberations in federal court in Washington.

The trial was the last of three major sedition cases federal prosecutors brought against key figures in the Capitol attack. Throughout the process, prosecutors showed messages and videos posted by the defendants themselves and other members of the group, which they called for violence and revolution against the change in the Presidency of the country.

According to the accusation, the messages spoke about the need for “war”, the “revolution” and the execution of traitors. On January 6, 2021, some 10,000 people –most Trump supporters– They marched towards the Capitol and some 800 stormed the Capitol, when Congress was meeting to ratify Biden’s victory in the elections. Five people died and about 140 agents were attacked.