Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio wasn't even in Washington when members of his extremist group, angry over Donald Trump 's election loss, stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Yet, federal prosecutors, using his words, won a conviction on the most serious charge levied in the insurrection.
The seditious conspiracy guilty verdicts of Tarrio and three lieutenants handed down Thursday — after a contentious and erratic trial that lasted more than twice as long as expected — bolsters the Justice Department's record in its historic prosecution of the Capitol attack. The investigation has now led to convictions against two top extremist group leaders on a legally complex charge that's rarely ever brought and can be difficult to prove.
