Federal prosecutors charged two New York members of the far-right group the Proud Boys on Friday after saying the men conspired to obstruct law enforcement that protected the Capitol. While more than 170 people have been charged in connection with the Attack of January 6 on the Capitol, only a handful have been charged with conspiracy.
In a press release, prosecutors said Dominic Pezzola, 43, of Rochester, New York, and William Pepe, 31, of Beacon, New York, had removed metal barricades and stolen property from Capitol police. Investigators said Pezzola also stole a riot shield from a Capitol Police officer.
Pezzola and Pepe were arrested on lesser charges earlier this month, but Friday’s grand jury indictment includes new allegations most seriously linked to the Proud Boys, a group that former President Trump told during a presidential debate in September “stand back and stand by”. A self-proclaimed Proud Boys organizer of the group’s events on January 6 was arrested in Florida earlier this month.
On Saturday, the documents accusing the men of conspiracy had not yet appeared in the government’s online file submission database, and details of the men’s alleged conspiracy remained unclear.
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In a criminal complaint filed Jan. 13, prosecutors said Pezzola was filmed using that shield to smash a window and crawl into the Capitol. Photos and videos taken during the incident show Pezzola wearing a shirt with a “Proud Boys” logo and smoking a cigar in the Capitol.
“Victory smoke in the Capitol, guys,” he says in a video. “This is f ***** g great. I knew we could take over this mother ****** [if we] just tried hard enough. ”
Pezzola is a veteran of the United States Marines, according to data obtained by CBS News. He is one of at least 15 military veterans who are now being charged federally with alleged crimes during the assault on the Capitol.
Acting US attorney Michael Sherwin said on Tuesday that prosecutors will begin to refrain from indicting easily identifiable “ internet stars ” who appeared in photos of the riot, and instead start setting up more complex conspiracy cases against militias who may have coordinated their actions during the Capitol.
Both Pezzola and Pepe are charged with conspiracy, civil disorder, unlawful entry into restricted buildings or grounds, and disorderly and disruptive behavior in restricted buildings or grounds, the government said. Pezzola is facing additional charges, including obstruction of official proceedings, additional charges of civil disorder, theft of personal property from the United States and attacking, opposing or obstructing certain officials, the government said.
Prosecutors have also charged a man affiliated with the radical militia group the “Three Percenters” and three suspected members of the anti-government militia the “oath keepers.” On Saturday, 175 people had been charged in connection with the uprising at the Capitol, 13 of which were also charged by a grand jury.
Pepe and Pezzola were among 14 people from New York State charged by federal prosecutors in connection with the riot. Pepe worked as a laborer in the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority and used sick leave to travel to DC. He has since been banned from his job with the MTA.
Clare Hymes and Eleanor Watson contributed to the reporting.