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Joseph Biggs, a leader of the Proud Boys anti-government domestic terrorist group was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Thursday for his role in plotting to overturn the 2020 U.S. election in favor of Donald Trump.
In a scene similar to Kyle Rittenhouse, who cried during his BLM murder trial, Biggs thought he could turn on the water works and dilute the depravity of his crimes. It didn’t work. Biggs, an Army veteran and former “correspondent” for the Alex Jones conspiracy program Infowars, joins four other Proud Boys leaders who’ve been convicted for sedition.
“My curiosity got the better of me and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life,” Biggs told District Court Judge Tim Kelly before his sentence was announced. “I’m so sorry.”
White tears run dry for Proud Boys leader
Like Rittenhouse, who was granted freedom after killing two Black Lives Matter protesters, Biggs began crying as he gave a brief statement addressing the court. Yet after his actions contributed to the deaths of Capitol police officers and threatened American democracy, it appears the judge wasn’t moved.
“What happened that day … it broke our tradition of the peaceful transfer of power, which is the most precious thing we had as Americans,” Judge Kelly said. “Notice I say had — we don’t have it anymore.”
Biggs’ co-defendants–fellow Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola — are expected to be sentenced over the next week in Washington.
Notably, after the 2020 election was called for Biden, Biggs called directly for civil war on his blog.
“Buy ammo, clean your guns, get storable food and water,” he wrote in the now-deleted post. “Be prepared! Things are about to get bad before they get better.”
During the attempted insurrection, Biggs and other leaders carried walkie-talkies as the mob descended on the Capitol.