The Proud Boy tearfully told a judge he had «given up politics» before the sentence was handed down.
A member of the Proud Boys yelled «Trump won» in front of his wife and child after a Washington, D.C., judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison for his role in the January 6, 2021, sacking of the U.S. Capitol.
Dominic Pezzola of Rochester, New York, on Friday was handed the prison term after a five-month trial involving him and Proud Boys leaders Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl on a series of charges related to their roles in instigating and executing a violent riot in an attempt to obstruct the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
While acquitted of the most serious charges in the case, footage from the day of infamy showed Pezzola using a police riot shield to smash his way through a window of the Capitol, allowing hundreds of rioters to enter the building.
That charge, as well as allegations of obstructing a congressional proceeding and assaulting a police officer, ultimately led a jury to support his conviction, though Judge Timothy Kelly’s sentence was less than what prosecutors initially sought.
