Proud Boys Hawaii leader and prominent Texas member both face new conspiracy charges 'after planning the Capitol riot' as FBI says deadly siege was retaliation at cops over stabbing at earlier march
- Nicholas DeCarlo, of Burleson, and Nicholas R. Ochs, of Honolulu, were indicted for conspiracy to obstruct Congress Wednesday following their January arrests
- The indictment against the two men says they both agreed before January 6 to travel to Washington to 'stop, delay and hinder' Joe Biden's election victory
- Among other things, the pair stand accused of scrawling 'Murder the media' on a door of the Capitol and stealing a pair of handcuffs that belonged to police
- If convicted, DeCarlo and Ochs face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison
- Social media posts by a third man arrested Wednesday indicate that he planned the raid in retaliation to earlier stabbing of a Proud Boys member in December
- Ethan Nordean, 30, said: 'You took our boy in, and you let our stabber go'
A Proud Boys Hawaii leader and a prominent Texas member both face new conspiracy charges after officials say they planned the Capital riot.
Nicholas DeCarlo, of Burleson, and Nicholas R. Ochs, of Honolulu, were indicted for conspiracy to obstruct Congress on Wednesday following their arrests last month.
The indictment against Ochs, 34, and DeCarlo, 30, said the two men agreed before January 6 to travel to Washington to 'stop, delay and hinder' the certification of President Joe Biden's election victory, the Justice Department said.
The riot led to five deaths, including a Capitol Police officer.
Among other things, the pair stand accused of scrawling 'Murder the media' on a door of the Capitol and stealing a pair of flexible handcuffs that belonged to Capitol police.
If convicted, DeCarlo and Ochs face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the Justice Department said.
Social media posts by a third man arrested Wednesday indicate that he and others may have planned the raid in retaliation to the stabbing of a Proud Boys member at an earlier march.
Ethan Nordean, 30, said: 'You took our boy in, and you let our stabber go.'
The indictment against Ochs, 34, and DeCarlo, 30, said the two men agreed before January 6 to travel to Washington to 'stop, delay and hinder' the certification of President Joe Biden's election victory, the Justice Department said. They are pictured with Jacob Chansley, right
Nicholas DeCarlo, of Burleson, right, and Nicholas R. Ochs, of Honolulu, left, were indicted for conspiracy to obstruct Congress Wednesday following their arrests last month. Among other things, the pair stand accused of scrawling 'Murder the media' on a door of the Capitol and stealing a pair of flexible handcuffs that belonged to Capitol police
After entering the Capitol, Ochs and DeCarlo posted videos of their actions on social media in real time and 'defaced the U.S. Capitol by scrawling onto its Memorial Door the words 'MURDER THE MEDIA',' it said.
Ochs is pictured in a crowd of protesters storming the Capitol building on January 6
Seattle Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean, 30, who also goes by the name Rufio Panman, is the self-described 'Sergeant of Arms' of the Seattle Chapter of the Proud Boys.
He urged supporters to 'bring back 1776' ahead of the violent siege, according to a complaint filed by the FBI. In a Proud Boys live-stream video on January 6 he said: 'You took our boy in, and you let our stabber go.'
That appears to be a reference to the arrest of leader Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio and the dropped charges of another man accused over the stabbing of a Proud Boys member on December 12.
In an archived podcast he says: 'The police are starting to become a problem.'
Ochs had told CNN he was working as a journalist, adding: 'We didn't have to break in, I just walked in and filmed. There were thousands of people in there -- they had no control of the situation. I didn't get stopped or questioned.'
Neither Ochs or DeCarlo is accredited as a journalist by Congress.
Social media posts by a third man arrested Wednesday indicate that he and others may have planned the raid in retaliation to the stabbing of a Proud Boys member on December 12
At least one proud boy stabbed after random lone protester fights with multiple proud boys. This protester was the only one around in a mob of a few hundred pb¿s and fought with one prior to this video starting and him brandishing a knife pic.twitter.com/OeK3Zwp9cv
— barely informed with elad ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ (@elaadeliahu) December 13, 2020
If convicted, DeCarlo and Ochs, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the state legislature and is pictured with Roger Stone, face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison
The FBI has been looking particularly closely at the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers and other far-right groups and anti-government militias as they investigate the Capitol riots.
The Proud Boys have been designated a hate group by the watchdog organization Southern Poverty Law Center.
'Their disavowals of bigotry are belied by their actions: rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists. They are known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric,' reads a narrative from the watchdog.
Ethan Nordean, pictured, has been arrested by the FBI over his participation in the Capitol siege
In a September pre-election debate with Biden, Trump told the Proud Boys to 'stand back and stand by.'
On Thursday it was reported that the group's former lawyer Jason Lee Van Dyke is revoking the right for them to use the Proud Boys name.
Van Dyke - who was previously accused of attempting to join neo-Nazi group The Base - argued one of the reasons for revoking the trademark includes the Proud Boys’ link with right wing extremism, The Daily Beast reports.
Seattle Proud Boy Nordean has been charged in federal court in the District of Columbia with obstructing or impeding an official proceeding, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and aiding and abetting, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Nordean, who uploaded a video on Parler encouraging his fellow members to 'Let them remember the day they decided to make war with us', in the days before the siege, has also been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in restricted building or grounds and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, which each carry a maximum penalty of one year in prison.
Nordean, shown circled inside the Capitol, is the self-described 'Sergeant of Arms' of the Seattle Chapter
Prosecutors allege that Nordean was 'near the front of the crowd of rioters' and was among those who breached the Capitol.
Nordean was seen in photos and videos marching at the front of the group with Joseph Biggs, the self-described leader of the Proud Boys and an infamous conspiracy theorist.
Biggs has also been arrested, along with Proud Boys member Dominic Pezzola - who was pictured smoking a cigar in the Capitol and talked about killing former Vice President Mike Pence.
Ethan Nordean, left, is pictured with Robert Gieswein, right, who was one of the first to enter the Capitol
Photos and screenshots of videos included with the complaint show that Nordean 'was among those who entered the U.S. Capitol building after rioters forced entry and pushed past Capitol Police officers.'
'Nordean was an active poster on the social media site Parler, where he identified himself as 'Rufio Panman' and utilized the username @REBELRUFIO,' the complaint reads.
Posts Nordean made to Parler indicate that he and other Proud Boys planned to attempt 'to overwhelm police barricades and enter the United States Capitol building,' the complaint reads.
Nordean posted to Parler looking to obtain paramilitary gear for the group to wear during the violent siege.
Nordean, right, posted a photo to Parler dressed in paramilitary gear two days before the siege
'Anyone looking to help us with safety/protective gear, or communications equipment it would be much appreciated, things have gotten more dangerous for us this past year, anything helps,' he posted to Parler on December 27.
Nordean later uploaded a video to Parler on January 4 titled 'Let them remember the day they decided to make war with us.'
The video show Nordean and other Proud Boys dressed in tactical gear along with the phrase Back the YELLOW, which is commonly used to show support for the group, the complaint reads.
In another video posted January 4, Nordean said that Proud Boys were 'never going to look good [protecting the community], because violence doesn't look good.'
Nordean added that the Proud Boys were going to 'bring back that original spirit of 1776 of what really established the character of what America is.'
Two days after the Capitol siege, Nordean posted a picture of himself with the caption 'Violent extremist' which the FBI lambasted 'as an effort to make light of the public condemnation of Nordean's and others' participation in the riot.'
Nordean also posted a picture on January 8 of a Capitol Police officer deploying pepper spray 'with a caption celebrating disparaging police officers,' the complaint reads.
'If you feel bad for the police, you are a part of the problem,' Nordean wrote.
'They care more about federal property than protecting and serving the people.'
On Wednesday, the Canadian government added the Proud Boys to its list of terrorist organizations, USA Today reported.
'Canada will not tolerate ideological, religious or politically motivated acts of violence,' Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said.
A government official told the outlet that if a member engages in violent acts, they could face terrorism charges.
Giving money to the Proud Boys or buying the organization's merchandise would also be a crime, the outlet reported.
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