Washington — A member of the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys pleaded guilty Thursday to seditious conspiracy for his role related to the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, becoming the first member of the organization to do so since the leader of the group and several of its members were indicted.
A charging document filed in the federal district court in Washington states Jeremy Bertino, of Belmont, North Carolina, admitted to “knowingly combine, conspire, confederate and agree” with five members of the Proud Boys and its leader, Enrique Tarrio, “to oppose by force the authority of the government of the United States and to delay by force the execution of the laws governing the transfer of power, including the 12th Amendment.”
According to the filing, Bertino also “unlawfully and knowingly” received and had several firearms, including two pistols, two rifles, a shotgun and a Mossburg .22 AR-15-style firearm with a scope, “which had been possessed, shipped and transported in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce.”
He is charged with one count of seditious conspiracy and one count of possessing or receiving a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon, and admitted to conspiring to use force to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to President Biden.
Bertino is the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy, though he was not among the group’s members charged by the Justice Department in June. Tarrio, along with codefendants Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, are accused of conspiring to obstruct and stop the counting of state electoral votes when Congress convened for a joint session Jan.
The trial for the members is set to begin in mid-December.
Members of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers, are currently on trial, facing numerous felonies including seditious conspiracy. A jury is currently hearing testimony in the case of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four codefendants, all of whom have pleaded not guilty to the charge.
