A North Carolina man became the first of the Proud Boys group to plead guilty to a seditious conspiracy charge stemming for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Jeremy Bertino, 43, pleaded guilty Thursday in the District of Columbia to the sedition charge, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. A date for his sentencing has not been set.
He faces up to 10 years in prison for the firearm charge and a maximum of 20 years for seditious conspiracy.
The Proud Boys envision themselves as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists,” the DOJ news release said.
Bertino joined the extremist group back in 2018 in the local South Carolina chapter and served as the former leader of the group, the DOJ said. According to the Associated Press, he is the first of the far-right group to plead to a seditious conspiracy charge, and this could put pressure on other members of the organization who are also charged in connection to the Capitol riot, including the former leader, Henry “Enrique" Tarrio.
Bertino’s actions, along with others, that followed on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., were in effort to disrupt a joint session of the U.S. Congress to stop the certification of the electoral votes, as the group felt that the presidential election had been stolen, the DOJ release says.
After accepting an invitation from the Proud Boys’ national chairman to join the “Ministry of Self Defense” chapter, Bertino engaged in encrypted forms of communication and monitored planning sessions to encourage members to assist in the operation to storm the Capitol, according to the DOJ.
Bertino often went to Washington, D.C., to participate in rallies and protests. On Dec. 12, 2020, Bertino and other Proud Boys members were hurt in an altercation. He was stabbed and was still recovering away from the D.C. area when the Capitol was breached, the DOJ said.
“The MOSD [Ministry of Self Defense] leaders were willing to do whatever it would take, including using force against police and others, to achieve that objective,” the DOJ release states.
Bertino messaged another member in celebration of their achievement after the siege, the DOJ said.
The gun charge Bertino pleaded guilty to came from an FBI search of his home on March 8. During the search, agents found six guns, including an AR-15 style rifle with a scope and 3,000 rounds of ammunition. Bertino isn’t allowed to have guns or ammunition because of a previous conviction, the DOJ said.
Five other members of the group were also charged with seditious conspiracy, but have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington, Columbia, South Carolina, and Charlotte field offices.
More than 870 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes relating to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the DOJ release.