1st Proud Boy pleads guilty to Jan. 6 conspiracy charges, will cooperate with the feds

A pro-Trump mob at the Capitol.
(Image credit: Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Matthew Greene, a former member of the Proud Boys from New York, pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal conspiracy and obstruction charges, a big break in the Justice Department's prosecution of extremist groups that participated in or led the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Greene, 34, also "agreed to cooperate with the government — potentially against other members of the far-right extremist group," The New York Times reports.

Greene traveled to Washington on Jan. 5 with a fellow upstate New York Proud Boy, Dominic Pezzola, and a third, William Pepe, slept on the floor of his hotel room, according to Greene's plea. Greene said he helped program earpiece-fitted handheld radios belonging to Pezzola that Proud Boys used to communicate during the Capitol siege. All three men were indicted on the same conspiracy charges in April; Pezzola and Pepe have pleaded not guilty.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.