Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola was sentenced to ten years in federal prison on Friday for his involvement in breaking a Capitol glass with a stolen police riot shield.
Only Pezzola, one of the five defendants in the Proud Boys trial, was acquitted of the most severe accusation of seditious conspiracy. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the state.
Ethan Nordean, the former head of the Seattle Proud Boys chapter, was sentenced to 18 years in prison later that day, tying the record for the heaviest Jan. 6 punishment ever. Stewart Rhodes, like Nordean and other Proud Boys, was convicted of seditious conspiracy and now holds the record for the most convictions.
Nordean, who was convicted of five more charges earlier this year, faced a maximum term of 27 years, as prosecutors recommended.
On January 6, before getting his sentence, Nordean addressed the court and apologized for his acts as a leader. He said, “There is no excuse for what I did.”
Whatever perspective one adopts, “Jan. 6 was a complete and utter tragedy,” according to Nordean. No political event or demonstration, in my opinion, is worth sacrificing a human life for.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly imposed the sanctions on Pezzola and Nordean. On Thursday, he sentenced two more Proud Boys to prison terms that were about half of what prosecutors had requested. On Thursday, former InfoWars journalist Joe Biggs was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison, while Philadelphia Proud Boy Zach Rehl was sentenced to 15 years for pepper spraying police officers.
Pezzola testified for himself in April, calling the claims against him “fake” and bringing up conspiracy theories regarding Ray Epps, another January 6 participant who has yet to be convicted.
Several films, including one filmed inside the Capitol after leading the breach, testifies to Pezzola’s activity that day. In May, he was found guilty on many charges, including theft of a police shield and assault on an officer.
On January 6th, he said, “Knew we could take this motherf—– over if we just tried hard enough.”
Authorities stated he “acted as a soldier in the civil war he had envisioned” on January 6.
Prosecutors said Pezzola’s conduct demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to intimidate or compel government personnel or take retribution for their actions. During a confrontation with police who were trying to block the mob’s advance, Pezzola grabbed an officer’s riot shield. Instead of behaving in accordance with his claimed purpose of self-defense, Pezzola “celebrated, posing with the shield while flashing the Proud Boys hand gesture and chanting ‘USA! USA!’ while triumphantly holding the shield above his head.”
“It boggles my mind,” Kelly said of Pezzola’s actions during the commotion, which included smashing the glass and filming himself smoking a “victory smoke” in the Capitol crypt.
Lisa Magee, Pezzola’s longtime partner, said during the court on Friday that Pezzola was “a f—ing idiot.” She believes that her husband’s actions has caused bullying and hardship for her daughters.
Magee said in court that prior to January 6, she had discontinued cable television at their home because Pezzola was becoming drunk and only watched Fox television. “I truly believe that if he could go back in time and change… that day, he would,” she said.
Both Magee and Pezzola’s mother sobbed in court, and the judge and jury could see Pezzola wiping away tears with a tissue as they testified. His 19-year-old daughter made a heartfelt speech to Kelly about the impact her father has had on her life.
“I am everything good that my father has done that you have not seen,” she said.
“I stand before you today as a changed and humble man,” Pezzola told the court before being punished. I’ve always been forthright about my conduct on J6.
He apologized, stating, “This was the worst, most regrettable decision of my life, and I’m truly sorry,” and swore never to do anything that would land him in court again.
Pezzola turned to the audience after Kelly had left the courtroom, lifted one fist, and said, “Trump won!”
Danny Rodriguez, who was also there on January 6, was sentenced in June to 12.5 years in prison for shooting a stun gun into the neck of former Washington, DC police officer Michael Fanone. During the incident, Rodriguez yelled, “Trump won!”