Jeremy Joseph Bertino, 43, is the first Proud Boys’ leader to plead guilty to a seditious conspiracy charge, which according to Nypost, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Bertino, a North Carolina native, pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring to physically obstruct the transfer of presidential power following the 2020 election alongside other Proud Boys members.
According to a federal prosecutor, Bertino has agreed to assist the Justice Department’s investigation into the involvement that Proud Boys leaders played in the mob’s assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Bertino was granted release until a sentencing hearing that wasn’t immediately scheduled by U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly.
In Belmont, North Carolina, Bertino also entered a guilty plea to a charge of illegally carrying weapons in March 2022. Following the Thursday filing of the case against Bertino, Kelly quickly heard his guilty pleas to both charges.
Jeremy Joseph Bertino, the first Proud Boys leader to plead guilty faces decades in prison for a seditious conspiracy charge
According to anticipated sentencing standards, Bertino is expected to receive a prison term of between four and five years and three months, according to Justice Department prosecutor Erik Kenerson.
However, Bertino could face the maximum sentence for the Civil War-era seditious conspiracy charge, which is 20 years in prison.
Henry “Nrique” Tarrio, a former national chairman of the Proud Boys, and four other organization members have also been accused of seditious conspiracy for allegedly orchestrating a planned assault on the U.S. Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
Dominic Pezzola, Zachary Rehl, Joseph Biggs, and Ethan Nordean will all go on trial in December.
The trial for the seditious conspiracy charge against the Oath Keepers founder and several militia members for their involvement in the Jan. 6 attack began this week in Washington.
Federal officials have identified over thirty defendants in the Capitol siege as Proud Boys leaders, members, or associates.
Matthew Greene and Charles Donohoe, two of them, entered guilty pleas to planning to impede the joint session of Congress on January 6 in order to certify the Electoral College vote.
Other January 6th Capitol insurrection cases so far
The U.S. Capitol building was stormed on January 6, 2021, and more than 840 people were detained for crimes ranging from assault to obstructing an official proceeding.
However, 17 months after the attempted uprising, a sizable portion of the rioters are still awaiting sentencing.
Here is a list of those charged in federal court in the District of Columbia for felonies committed on January 6, 2021, in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is prosecuting each case. According to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, defendants who have been arrested or who have surrendered must appear before the district court magistrate or judge in the location of the arrest.
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