Ethan Nordean, who prosecutors said was one of the leaders on the ground during the U.S. Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Friday, tying a member of the Oath Keepers for the longest sentence of any defendant related to the events.
The sentence for the member of the Proud Boys came hours after Dominic Pezzola, another member of the far-right extremist group, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The two men were the third and fourth members of the group to receive lengthy sentences for their actions. Zachary Rehl was sentenced late Thursday to 15 years and Joseph Biggs was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
They were all found guilty of seditious conspiracy after their involvement in a plot to overthrow the government, when they led an attack aimed at obstructing the peaceful transition of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden following the 2020 presidential election.
As he was escorted out of the courtroom following his sentencing, Pezzola turned, raised a clenched fist, and exclaimed, "TRUMP WON!"
During the insurrection, Pezzola grabbed a police officer's shield and smashed a window with it, allowing rioters inside the Capitol. He also recorded a "celebratory video" with a cigar in the building, according to prosecutors.
"The reality is you smashed that window in and let people begin to stream into the Capitol building and threaten the lives of our lawmakers," the judge told Pezzola, according to the Associated Press. "It’s not something that I ever dreamed I would have seen in our country."
The leader of the Proud Boys, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, is scheduled to be sentenced next week.
DOJ seeks 33 year sentence for former Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio
Prosecutors are also seeking 33 years behind bars for one of Tarrio’s co-defendants, Joseph Biggs of Ormond Beach, Florida.
