A former leader of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy on Thursday, the first member of the group to do so in the expansive investigation into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
From December 2020 to January 2021, Jeremy Bertino, 43, “did knowingly combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with” the Proud Boys leaders “and other persons known and unknown, 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,” according to court documents.
Bertino also pleaded guilty to a count of unlawful possession of a firearm, the documents state. In March 2022, a court-authorized search of his residence in Belmont, North Carolina, found multiple firearms, including a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol, a .22 bolt action rifle, and a Garaysar 12-gauge shotgun, among other weapons, according to the documents.
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The Proud Boys describe themselves as members of a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists.” Bertino joined the group in 2018 and temporarily served as the vice president of his local Proud Boys chapter in South Carolina, according to the Justice Department.
Bertino faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison for the seditious conspiracy charge and up to 10 years in prison for the firearms charge, and the charges may also carry financial penalties. No sentencing date has been scheduled yet, the department stated.
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In June, five other members of the Proud Boys including Enrique Tarrio, the national chairman, were indicted on seditious conspiracy and other charges. All five of them have pleaded not guilty and are facing trial.
