Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Marine Corps veteran Zachary Rehl to 30 years to life in prison for being in the wrong place at the wrong time — walking through the Capitol building for approximately 20 minutes during the Capitol riot on January 6.
The government sought 30 years in federal prison for Rehl, the head of the Philadelphia chapter of the Proud Boys, for “his role in the Capitol riot.”
Rehl committed no violent crimes on January 6. He walked through the Capitol building on January 6 for merely a few minutes, took a selfie in the building then left the Capitol grounds.
Prosecutors argue the 37-year-old Marine Corps veteran and his allies, former Proud Boys chair Enrique Tarrio, 39, Joseph Biggs. 39, and Ethan Nordean, 33, aimed to foment a revolution on January 6 to keep former President Donald Trump in power in a “terror attack” that left a stain on American democracy.
The role that Rehl and Tarrio, Nordean, and Biggs played in “organizing” the Jan. 6, 2021, “attack” on the U.S. Capitol “threatened the bedrock principles of our country’ and warranted the significant punishment,” government lawyers argued in a court filing late Thursday.
of course, this was all bullshit. The Proud Boys were in Washington DC to offer security for Trump supporters who had previously been assaulted by Antifa thugs at events in Washington DC. They committed no violence and had no plan to take over the US Capitol.
These evil men in Washington DC condemned Zachary Rehl, a young father and Marine veteran, to prison for attending a rally and walking in the open doors at the US Capitol.
This is the definition of evil.
We can no longer fool ourselves. The America we once knew is long gone. We now live under the boot of the regime.
The role that Rehl and Tarrio, Nordean, and Biggs played in “organizing” the Jan. 6, 2021, “attack” on the U.S. Capitol “threatened the bedrock principles of our country’ and warranted the significant punishment,” government lawyers argued in a court filing late Thursday.
Rehl, Tarrio, Nordean, and Biggs were convicted of seditious conspiracy on May 4 by jurors who reside in a district with a 92 percent voting rate for Joe Biden. The selected jurors admitted on the stand that they support Antifa and attended Black Lives Matter rallies and the Women’s Marches, each insisted the Proud Boys are a group of white supremacists and every juror’s face was hidden behind a mask in adherence with unconstitutional Covid protocol the entire duration of the 5-month trial.
The government urged U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to deem Rehl, Tarrio, Biggs and Nordean’s conduct “terrorism,” a designation that would result in sharply increased sentences.
Pezzola’s attorneys contend the government tried Pezzola with Rehl, Tarrio, Biggs, and Nordean to further “muck” them with Pezzola’s offenses.
Zachary Rehl cried today on the stand before his sentencing. They are going to destroy this man and his family.
They forced this man to repent in his struggle session.
Zachary Rehl broke down crying during his allocution as he read from a prepared statement. He said he regretted letting politics overcome him and wished he had not followed politicians spewing lies about the election because it led him him to lose sight of what’s important
— Sarah N. Lynch (@SarahNLynch) August 31, 2023