Authorities have arrested two organizers of the far-right group the Proud Boys and charged them with conspiracy in a new criminal charge that has not closed on Friday. Prosecutors say the men used paramilitary equipment, handheld radios and encrypted messaging applications to coordinate with other Proud Boys before and during the attack.
Authorities have sued Zach Rehl, 35, of Pennsylvania, and Charles Donohoe, 33, of North Carolina, saying both men are president of their local Proud Boys chapters. They were named as co-conspirators in a new criminal charge also indicting two other Proud Boys leaders: Joseph Biggs, an Army veteran and self-proclaimed Proud Boys organizer who was arrested in January, and Ethan Nordean, a member of Proud Boys. leadership group known as the elders and also a president of his local chapter. Nordean was charged earlier this month.
Prosecutors said the four defendants participated in an encrypted chat with at least 60 other people during the attack, and that some used programmed handheld radios to communicate in real time.
The Proud Boys, a nationalist group that described themselves as “ Western chauvinists, ” have vocally supported former President Trump, and law enforcement officials and former members have said Mr. Trump encouraged their actions after telling the group to “ stand back and stand. to keep’. in a presidential debate in September.
With the arrests of Donohoe and Rehl, federal prosecutors have now charged at least 16 Capitol rioters, who they say were linked to the Proud Boys.
Prosecutors described the fall’s social media posts by suspects who indicated they believed the election had been stolen from Mr. Trump.
On November 5, Biggs posted on social media, “It’s time for f *** ing War when they steal this slut.”
Later that month, Rehl wrote, “Hopefully the firing squads are for the traitors trying to steal the elections from the American people.”
Court documents show that the men were planning trips to Washington, and started crowdfunding pages to pay for expenses such as “protective equipment and communications” and “travel expenses for upcoming Patriot events.” A travel expenses campaign raised more than $ 5,500 in donations between December 30 and January 4.
Prosecutors said all four defendants at different times echoed the message that group members should avoid wearing the Proud Boys’ signature colors of black and yellow. The government said that by doing so, they were “making plans to evade detection by law enforcement officials.”
The day before the attack, prosecutors said, a new encrypted messaging channel called “Boots on the Ground” was created for communication by Proud Boys members who were in DC, including more than 60 users, including Nordean, Biggs, Rehl. and Donohoe.
The night before the attack, someone posted a message calling on members to meet at the Washington Monument on January 6 at 10 a.m. The message read, “Details will be disclosed at the pre-meeting!”
Biggs wrote in an encrypted chat that he just spoke to the chairman of the Proud Boys. “We have a plan,” he said.
On the day of the attack, prosecutors said, Nordean, Biggs, Rehl and Donohoe were part of a mob that dismantled and stormed past multiple police barricades and entered the Capitol.
Nordean and Biggs used a megaphone to lead the group, prosecutors said, and several men in the group, including Biggs and Rehl, held walkie-talkie-style communication devices. Biggs and Rehl entered the Capitol through a door opened by another Proud Boys member, Dominic Pezzola, prosecutors said.
In a video, prosecutors say Biggs can be seen within 20 seconds of a door entering the Capitol building. In the video he said, “This is great!”
After the attack, the four defendants celebrated on social media and in encrypted chat messages, prosecutors said.
Rehl posted a message saying, “I’m f *** what we accomplished yesterday, but we have to start planning and we start planning for a Biden presidency.”
Donohoe said, “We stormed the capital unarmed.” He added, “And we took over unarmed.”
The four defendants were charged on six counts with crimes, including conspiracy, as well as charges related to obstruction of official proceedings, obstruction of law enforcement, destruction of government property and disorderly conduct in restricted areas.
More than 20 defendants charged with federal charges in the Capitol riot have so far been charged with conspiracy, including ten members of the extremist group the Oath Keepers, who were charged as co-conspirators and charged with coordinating before and during the attack .