Proud Boys march in support of former President Donald Trump in Washington, DC on December 12, 2020.
Evelyn Hockstein/Washington Post/Getty Images
- A member of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the Capitol riot.
- Matthew Greene, 34, admitted to coordinating members of the group in order to obstruct Congress.
- He’s the first Proud Boy to plead guilty to conspiracy and is cooperating with investigators.
Matthew Greene, a member of the right-wing group the Proud Boys, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of conspiracy and obstruction in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Greene, 34, of Syracuse, New York, “conspired with fellow members of the Proud Boys, a self-described ‘pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world; aka Western Chauvinists'” to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election, prosecutors said.
As part of a plea agreement, Greene pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding in exchange for having other charges against him dropped and a possible reduced sentence. He could face between 41 and 51 months in prison and a fine between $15,000 and $150,000.
Greene also agreed to cooperate fully with investigators, including turning over all evidence of potential crimes he is aware of. Prosecutors said they could recommend a lower sentence, pending his cooperation.
According to The Washington Post, Greene is the first Proud Boy to admit to conspiracy in the Capitol riot and cooperate with law enforcement.
In a statement of offense, prosecutors said Greene conspired with fellow Proud Boys Dominic Pezzola and William Pepe, who have both been charged with conspiracy and assaulting officers in the riot. Pezzola and Pepe have pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors said the three men coordinated a group of Proud Boys from around the country in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6, 2021. Greene was with other Proud Boys who illegally entered the Capitol grounds and removed police barricades. Greene “was among the first wave to cross the downed police line,” prosecutors said.
Greene celebrated the breach of the Capitol in a message on an encrypted messaging app, writing to someone who asked how he was doing. “I’m good. We took the capital,” he wrote, according to prosecutors.
“Greene hoped that his actions and those of his co-conspirators would cause legislators and the Vice President to act differently” while voting on whether or not to certify the results of the presidential election, according to the statement of offense, which was signed by Greene on Tuesday. “Greene intended to affect the government by stopping or delaying the Congressional proceeding, and, in fact, did so.”
More than 700 people have been charged in the Capitol riot, on offenses that include violent entry and assault of officers.
Read the original article on Business Insider 
