Auburn man charged with ‘seditious conspiracy’ for U.S. Capitol insurrection

Ethan Nordean, an Auburn-area man and chapter president of Proud Boys, a far-right group of self-described ‘Western Chauvinists’ was charged along with four others for seditious conspiracy, assault, and destruction of federal property in connection with the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

The three charges added in the most recent indictment follow six others the men already were facing, to which they have pleaded not guilty.

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The Proud Boys are a group condemned as a hate group by extremist watchdogs and racial advocacy groups for their stated goal as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world.”

Nordean, along with former Proud Boy chairman Enrique Tarrio, and members Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, are all facing charges for their role in organizing the insurrection as a part of the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement, which alleged that President Joe Biden falsely won the 2020 election.

If found guilty by a grand jury, Nordean is facing up to 20 years for conspiracy charges alone; and if found guilty on all counts, up to 50 years in prison.

According to the grand jury indictment filed on Monday, the group is accused of conspiracy for their part in using forces to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power “by preventing, hindering or delaying by force the execution of the laws governing the transfer of power.”

In a video of the insurrection, Nordean can be seen leading the pro-Trump mob before the Capitol building is breached and ransacked, according to the charges filed by the prosecution. He can also be seen in a selfie-style video saying “We just stormed the [expletive] Capitol. Took the [expletive] place back. That was so much fun.” According to the indictment, Biggs then said, “January 6 will be a day in infamy.”

Nordean and codefendants are being held in Virginia and are awaiting trial along with Oathkeeper members including founder Stewart Rhodes for some of the most serious charges in the sweeping Jan. 6 investigation.

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