How many Proud Boys members were charged in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack and what were their outcomes?
Executive summary
At least dozens of Proud Boys members were charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack; multiple senior leaders were tried and convicted of seditious conspiracy and related felonies (including Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Joe Biggs), while many other rank‑and‑file members pleaded guilty or were convicted on obstruction, assault or civil‑disorder counts; several high‑profile Proud Boys received long sentences that were later wiped away or commuted in a mass clemency by President Trump on January 20, 2025 [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not give a single, authoritative tally of every Proud Boys member charged across all jurisdictions, but they document leadership convictions for seditious conspiracy and many additional guilty pleas and sentences among members [2] [4] [5].
1. How many Proud Boys were charged — the messy totals
Reporting and public records show numerous Proud Boys were charged, but no single source in the provided set lists a definitive count of group members charged; accounts describe “dozens” or “many” members arrested and prosecuted, and the broader Jan. 6 docket numbered more than 1,400 federal defendants overall [6] [1]. Analysts and outlets cited in the sources emphasize that the Proud Boys were among the most heavily prosecuted organized contingents, but an exact Proud Boys headcount across indictments and pleas is not supplied in the available reporting [7] [1].
2. Leadership prosecutions: seditious conspiracy convictions
Four senior Proud Boys leaders — Enrique Tarrio (former chairman), Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Joe Biggs — were tried in a multi‑defendant case and, after a 2023 trial, four were found guilty on seditious conspiracy and related counts; Dominic Pezzola was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted of other serious felonies [2] [8] [7]. Those convictions were described as some of the most significant outcomes from the DOJ’s Jan. 6 prosecutions and formed the centerpiece of arguments that the group had planned and executed a coordinated assault [2] [7].
3. Rank‑and‑file outcomes: guilty pleas, prison terms, and sentences
Beyond the leadership cases, individual Proud Boys pleaded guilty to obstruction, civil disorder, assault and other federal felonies. Examples include members who pleaded guilty to obstruction and faced multi‑year sentences or were sentenced for assaulting officers and breaching the Capitol; some chapter members from Florida pleaded guilty to felony civil‑disorder charges [4] [5] [9]. Source reporting notes that of roughly 1,424 people charged nationally, a majority pled guilty and many received jail time — indicating substantial penal consequences for many participants, including Proud Boys [6] [4].
4. Penalties then reversed or commuted: the 2025 clemency sweep
Several leading Proud Boys who had received long sentences were freed or had sentences commuted by President Trump’s sweeping Jan. 20, 2025 clemency order that covered roughly 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants; sources explicitly name Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Jeremy Bertino, Joseph Biggs and Dominic Pezzola among those whose sentences were commuted or pardoned [3] [10] [11]. Media outlets and datasets report that the clemency erased or shortened many high‑profile sentences, dramatically changing the legal outcomes for prominent Proud Boys [3] [12].
5. Continuing litigation and political fallout
After convictions and the clemency actions, Proud Boys leaders pursued lawsuits and public campaigns framing prosecutions as politically motivated; five convicted leaders filed a $100 million suit alleging “political prosecution,” a move described as having steep legal and political hurdles [8]. Observers cited in the sources connect these legal moves and the group’s public posture to efforts to regroup and reclaim influence post‑pardon [11] [8].
6. What the sources agree and where they diverge
Sources concur that the Proud Boys played a central, organized role on Jan. 6 and that several leaders were convicted of seditious conspiracy [2] [7]. They also agree many members faced felony charges and some received multi‑year sentences [4] [5]. Where the record is incomplete in the provided material is a single, verifiable numeric tally of all Proud Boys charged across federal and state dockets; reporting gives examples and categories of outcomes but not a consolidated total exclusively for Proud Boys [6] [1].
Limitations and next steps for readers: available sources do not provide an authoritative, final count of every Proud Boys member charged across all courts [6]. For a precise tally, consult DOJ public dockets, court records and investigative databases that track Jan. 6 defendants by organizational affiliation; the cited sources here document leadership convictions, many guilty pleas and the sweeping 2025 clemency that altered outcomes for numerous Proud Boys [2] [4] [3].