WASHINGTON — A Proud Boy who smashed a Capitol window with a stolen police riot shield will be sentenced in federal court on Friday morning.
Dominic Pezzola was the only of the five defendants in the Proud Boys trial who was not convicted of the top charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors are seeking 20 years in federal prison, though U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced two other Proud Boys to prison terms of roughly half of what prosecutors sought.
Joe Biggs, a former InfoWars correspondent, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison on Thursday, and Zach Rehl, a Philadelphia Proud Boy who was found to have pepper sprayed officers, was sentenced to 15 years.
Pezzola took the stand in his own defense at trial in April, calling the charges against him “fake” and bringing up conspiracy theories about Ray Epps, a Jan. 6 participant who has not yet been charged.
Extensive video evidence documented Pezzola’s actions at the Capitol on Jan. 6, including a video he filmed inside the Capitol after he led the breach.
“Knew we could take this motherf—– over if we just tried hard enough,” Pezzola said in the video.
Prosecutors said Pezzola “acted as a soldier in the civil war he had envisioned” on Jan. 6.
“Pezzola’s actions showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had intended to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate against government conduct,” prosecutors wrote. “While sparring with police who were trying to quell the mob’s advance, Pezzola robbed an officer of his riot shield. Rather than taking actions consistent with his self-professed motive of self-defense, Pezzola celebrated, posing with the shield while flashing the Proud Boys hand gesture, and chanting ‘USA! USA!’ While holding the shield above his head triumphantly.”