Five members of the far-right Proud Boys — including former leader Enrique Tarrio — were indicted Monday for seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The charges are so far the most serious brought by the Justice Department in its investigation of the attack, The New York Times reports.
The new indictment against Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola was unsealed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The five men had already been charged with conspiracy and other crimes in an indictment back in March — they pleaded not guilty. It's unclear at the moment what prompted the new charges, the Times notes.
To successfully argue a charge of seditious conspiracy, prosecutors must prove that defendants used force to either overthrow the government or interfere with the execution of federal law, the Times explains.
So far, the only other defendants in the Jan. 6 investigation charged with seditious conspiracy are Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and 10 of his associates.