Joe Biggs of the Proud Boys Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Seditious Conspiracy in Connection to Capitol Attack

Washington – Joe Biggs, a leader of the Proud Boys organization, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison on Thursday after being convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection to the January 6th attack on the US Capitol.

Biggs, a Florida resident and former Army veteran, was the first of the Proud Boys co-defendants to be sentenced after a jury found them guilty of numerous felony counts. The government sought 33 years for Biggs, who had previously worked as a correspondent for the conspiracy website Infowars.

The sentence is the second longest handed down in the Justice Department’s investigation into the Capitol attack, following the 18-year sentence given to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. Biggs was also convicted of conspiring to obstruct Congress and civil disorder, but was acquitted on other charges including assaulting officers and destruction of government property.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a statement that Biggs “served as an instigator and leader” during the attack. The statement also said that Biggs had “encouraged and directed other Proud Boys members to join him in the attack on the Capitol.”

The sentence is the latest in a series of convictions and sentences handed down in connection to the January 6th attack. The Justice Department has charged more than 400 people in connection to the attack, and is continuing to investigate and prosecute those involved.