A federal judge set the sentence for Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs to 17 years in prison Thursday, according to multiple reports.
The 17 year sentence applied by District Judge Tim Kelly, a Trump appointee, is one year less than the longest handed down so far in a Jan. 6 case, according to multiple reports. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was previously given an 18 year sentence for his involvement in the riot after prosecutors recomended 25 years.
The judge’s sentence is nearly half of the 33 year sentence sought by prosecutors.
During the hearing, Kelly said that Biggs’ destruction of the black metal fence was an act of terrorism, according to multiple reports.
Biggs, a U.S. army veteran, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy and multiple other charges in May. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Biggs, along with Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean and Zachary Rehl, was a member in the Proud Boys’ “Ministry of Self-Defense.”
“The evidence at trial demonstrated that Biggs was a vocal leader and influential proponent of the group’s shift toward political violence,” prosecutors wrote in their Aug. 17 sentencing memo.
“Biggs employed his military experience to direct and control large groups of men under his command,” the memo continued. “More than perhaps any other, Biggs appreciated the tactical advantage that his force had that day, and he understood the significance of his actions against his own government.”
Biggs spoke at the end of the hearing before the sentence was handed down, saying he respects the process despite not agreeing with it. He teared up as he explained that he wants to be there for his daughter, according to multiple reportsfrom the courtroom.
“I’m not a terrorist,” he said, per the reports. “I don’t have hate in my heart.”
Sentencing hearings scheduled for former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and another group leader, Ethan Nordean, were postponed Wednesday because Kelly was sick, CNBC reported.
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