In order to win a seditious conspiracy case, prosecutors have to prove that two or more people conspired to “overthrow, put down or to destroy by force” the U.S. The charge can be difficult to prove, especially in cases when an alleged plot is unsuccessful. Sedition cases have been rare in recent history. The seditious conspiracy law was enacted after the Civil War to arrest Southerners who might keep fighting the U.S. Jurors cleared Pezzola of the sedition charge, though he was convicted of other serious felonies. Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were also convicted Thursday of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors said Pezzola allowed the first rioters to enter the Capitol by using a police riot shield to shatter a window. Tarrio, from Miami, stood trial with Ethan Nordean of Auburn, Washington, who was a Proud Boys chapter president Joseph Biggs of Ormond Beach, Florida, a self-described Proud Boys organizer Zachary Rehl, president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia and Dominic Pezzola, a Proud Boys member from Rochester, New York. They contended that the actions of the Proud Boys who joined the pro-Trump mob were spontaneous rather than the culmination of a premeditated plot. 6 - he was arrested in a separate case two days earlier - but authorities say he helped put the violence into motion and cheered on the riot from afar as it unfolded.ĭefense attorneys told jurors there was no plot to storm the Capitol or block Congress' certification of President Joe Biden's victory. Prosecutors sought to prove Tarrio and four co-defendants plotted for weeks to use force to keep then-President Donald Trump in power. Here’s a look at the charge of seditious conspiracy and its history:

The founder of the Oath Keepers extremist group and several members have also been convicted of the charge. 6, 2021, riot that forced Congress to adjourn as lawmakers and staff hid from a violent mob. It was the third seditious conspiracy trial stemming from the Jan.

Freedom to Kill by Paul Lindsay