More than two years ago, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington – at the forefront: the right-wing “Proud Boys”. One of them has now been sentenced to 17 years in prison. Before the verdict was announced, he showed remorse.
A former leader of the far-right Proud Boys has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for his part in the storming of the US Capitol in Washington. A federal district court in Washington sentenced Joseph Biggs to charges including “seditious conspiracy.”
It is the second-highest prison sentence in connection with the attack on the US House of Representatives in January 2021. The former head of another far-right group, the “Oath Keepers”, in German “Oath Keepers”, was sentenced to 18 years in prison been.
“I know I screwed up that day”
Prosecutors had asked for 33 years in prison for Briggs. They had identified the former soldier, who described himself as an organizer for the “Proud Boys” – in German “Proud Boys” – as one of the most violent rioters.
“I know I screwed up that day,” Biggs told the judge before his sentencing. “But I’m not a terrorist.” The judge will also try four other “Proud Boys” who were found guilty by a jury in Washington in May after a four-month trial. According to the “New York Times”, there were a total of 1,100 proceedings against participants in the protest.
Five dead in the storming of the Capitol
Supporters of President Donald Trump, who was voted out at the time, stormed the seat of the US Parliament in Washington on January 6, 2021, broke through police barriers and entered the building. Congress met there to formally confirm Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
Trump had previously stirred up his supporters in a speech with the false claim that he had been deprived of a victory by massive election fraud. Five people died as a result of the riots. In early August, Trump was charged with attempted electoral interference.
During the election campaign, Trump refused to clearly condemn the right-wing radical group. In a televised debate with Biden, he said, “‘Proud Boys’ – stand back and stand by.”