The self-proclaimed “Sergeant of Arms” for the Seattle branch of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys will remain in custody for his alleged role in the Capitol riot.
Ethan Nordean, 30, was arrested Feb. 3 on four charges related to the Jan. 6 siege, including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Hill. The bodybuilder and prominent Proud Boy appeared via video before a federal judge in Seattle on Monday, where his provisional release was initially ordered, the Seattle Times reported.
But magistrate judge Brian Tsuchida’s verdict was overturned on appeal several hours later by US district judge Beryl Howell in Washington, blocking the release of the man also known as “Rufio Panman” among right-wing extremists.
In addition to delaying Nordean’s release, Howell ordered that he be immediately transported to Washington, DC, the paper reported.
Nordean has been accused of being part of a group that entered the Capitol after rioters, including alleged members of the Proud Boys, “forced access” to the building by destroying federal properties, a criminal complaint shows.
Photos and videos of the violent uprising that killed five people show Nordean “in front of the mob of rioters” as outnumbered Capitol police, according to the 21-page complaint.
Nordean’s alias is a reference to a character in the 1991 Peter Pan fantasy movie “Hook,” according to the Seattle Times.
He faces more than 30 years in prison if convicted of the four counts he faces. His public defender, meanwhile, has labeled prosecutors’ allegations that Nordean posed a potential flight risk as “far-fetched”, saying he turned himself in to face federal charges.
“He was not home when officers came to arrest him,” federal public defender Corey Endo said during Monday’s detention hearing. His wife called him and told him they were there to arrest him and he returned home. Those are not the actions of someone who wants to flee. “