Washington Man Among 5 Proud Boys Indicted For D.C. Insurrection

RENTON, WA — A Washington man is one of five Proud Boy members who have now been indicted for seditious conspiracy for their alleged involvement in the riot and insurrection in the nation's Capitol last January.

Prosecutors with the Department of Justice have named Ethan Nordean, 31, of Auburn as one of five high-ranking Proud Boy members who will be facing charges for their actions leading up to and during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In a previous indictment, Nordean was identified as the "Sergeant of Arms" in the Seattle chapter of the Proud Boys, operating under the alias "Rufio Panman."

The other defendants include Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 38, of Miami, Florida, the former national chairman of the Proud Boys, Joseph Biggs, 38, of Ormond Beach, Florida; Zachary Rehl, 37, of Philadelphia, and Dominic Pezzola, 44, of Rochester, New York. All five men have previously been indicted and remain detained. All five have also previously pleaded not guilty to similar charges.

According to the DOJ's indictment, the five members were part of the Proud Boy's “Ministry of Self Defense," higher-up members who helped coordinate the Capitol breach with the intent of stopping or delaying the certification of the Electoral College vote affirming that Joe Biden had defeated incumbent Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

"On Jan. 6, 2021, the defendants directed, mobilized, and led members of the crowd onto the Capitol grounds and into the Capitol, leading to dismantling of metal barricades, destruction of property, breaching of the Capitol building, and assaults on law enforcement," the DOJ said in a news release. "During and after the attack, Tarrio and his co-defendants claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room."

A sixth defendant, Charles Donohoe, 34, of Kernersville, North Carolina, was earlier charged with the group but pleaded guilty in April, offering to testify against his fellow Proud Boys as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

According to court documents from Nordean's earlier charging, Nordean made several posts on Parler leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection, attempting to organize participation and soliciting donations for protective gear and other equipment. Two days before the riots, prosecutors said he posted a video with a caption that read "Let them remember the day they decided to make war with us." Nordean already faced up to 30 years in prison for those charges. The new indictment tacks on two additional charges, one count of seditious conspiracy, and one count of conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties.

Nordean and his co-defendants are scheduled to appear for a hearing on June 9, 2022, in the District of Columbia.

In the nearly 1.5 years since the Jan. 6 attack, the DOJ and FBI have arrested over 800 people for their involvement in the Capitol breach. Of those, 250 have also been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.