Zachary Rehl, the organizer of the PROUD Boys, has been convicted and faces a hefty prison sentence for his role in the US Capitol riots.
Prosecutors have asked for a 30-year prison sentence after he was found guilty in connection with the January 6, 2021, event in Washington, DC.
Who is Zachary Rehl?
Zachary Rehl is one of the leaders of the radical Proud Boys group, which was involved in the Capitol Hill insurgency that attempted to overturn Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
The father of two served as president of the organization’s Philadelphia chapter in Pennsylvania.
In cell phone video footage from the January 6 riot, he can be heard saying, “F*** ’em – storm the Capitol!”
Prosecutors presented video of Rehl blasting pepper spray at police officers who stood in his way as demonstrators forced their way inside.
What crimes did Zachary Rehl commit?
Rehl has been imprisoned since his arrest in March 2021 and was found guilty of seditious conspiracy by a Washington DC court in May 2023.
That’s a Civil War-era legislation that makes it a criminal to plan to use force to oppose the government.
Prosecutors have requested that a judge sentence him to 30 years in jail.
“These defendants and the men in their command saw themselves as the foot soldiers of the right,” said US lawyers Jason B A McCullough and Conor Mulroe of Rehl and his co-conspirators.
“They were prepared to use, and they did use, force to stop the ‘traitors’ from stealing the election.
“They failed. They are not heroes – they are criminals.”
Rehl’s lawyer Norman A Pattis pleaded for a lighter sentence.
He said: “These defendants are not terrorists.
“Whatever excess of zeal they demonstrated on January 6 2021, and no matter how grave the potential interference with the orderly transfer of power due to the events of that day, a decade or more behind bars is excessive punishment.”
Fellow Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean was also convicted of seditious conspiracy during Rehl’s trial, and his sentencing is set for September 1, 2023.
Prosecutors have requested for a sentence of 27 years.
Five individuals died at the US Capitol march, including police officer Brian Sicknick.
The other four were Trump supporters, including Ashli Babbitt, 35, who was killed in the Capitol building.
Roseanne Boyland, 34, Kevin Greeson, 55, and Benjamin Phillips, 50, died as a result of “medical emergencies.”
Over a thousand people have been charged with federal charges in connection with the Capitol attack.
More than 600 people have been condemned so far, with more than half getting prison time.
