First Proud Boys leader pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy over Jan 6 attack

Jeremy Bertino, 43, faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail

A Proud Boys leader has pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy over the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

Jeremy Bertino is the first member of the far-right group to make a guilty plea on those charges. He also accepted charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person before US District Court Judge Tim Kelly on Thursday.

Bertino, of North Carolina, faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail after entering a plea agreement with the prosecution, CNN reported.

The 43-year-old was not in Washington DC when the Capitol was targeted by hundreds of election deniers on 6 January 2021 because he was recovering from a stab injury he suffered at another rally in DC. The charges were brought based on his involvement in planning meetings and his leadership in the group.

He managed and posted instructions on a number of chats used by members of the group, including chairman Enrique Tarrio, to plan for the insurrection. Bertino ordered fellow members to forego clothing with the usual colours of the Proud boys in order not to be easily identified, according to the indictment.

Tarrio and fellow Proud Boys Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, Joe Biggs and Dominic Pezzola, who was caught on footage breaking windows at the US Capitol and letting members of the mob climb inside, will face trial in December.

In some of the messages in the group chats, Bertino texted members to “find some eggs and rotten tomatoes!,” and told them they “had made this happen” and he was “proud of [his] country.”

After obtaining search warrants in March, authorities seized six firearms and 3,000 rounds of ammunition from Bertino’s residence. It is unclear when Bertino will be sentenced, but he is scheduled for a hearing in February.

The prosecution said on Thursday that Bertino’s sentence could be lessened if he cooperates with law enforcement. He would also become eligible for a witness protection programme.

Bertino’s seditious conspiracy plea agreement comes as the federal trial against Oath Keeper Stewart Rhodes over the same charge continues.