Proud Boy cited in Trump impeachment trial ready to plead guilty



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“Pezzola has indicated his desire to enter surrender negotiations and accept responsibility for his actions,” wrote Jonathan Zucker.

Hundreds of people have been indicted as the FBI scours the country looking for people seen on Capitol Hill that day, including a large and growing number of so-called Proud Boys.

Members of the group were described by prosecutors as particularly well organized and coordinated, wearing headphones and dressed in military-style gear.

Pezzola was also featured on several occasions during Trump’s impeachment trial last week: Democrats prosecuting the case mentioned his name 12 times as an example of the worst offenders who raped the Capitol that day.

They also noted that in previous legal filings he attributed his actions to the former president’s call to overturn the 2020 election results.

“Pezzola came to the Capitol on January 6 with deadly intentions,” Del said. Stacey Plaskett (DV.I.), one of nine House impeachers. “He requisitioned a shield from the Capitol Police, used it to smash a window, entered the Capitol and paved the way for dozens of insurgents.

Pezzola’s lawyer now says he never intended to commit violence against other people, has no criminal record and was likely asleep during a car ride when other Proud Boys discussed his intention to return to Capitol Hill to commit further violence on the day of the opening.

“Since his arrest, having time to reflect and see how things turned out, he now realizes that he has been duped into these mistaken beliefs,” Zucker wrote.

Zucker also said that he and his client came to believe that another member of the Proud Boys – much more involved in the group and accused of spraying police with pepper spray on January 6 – was working with the forces of order in order to avoid a charge. .

“Although the defense cannot be certain, it is believed that the ‘cooperating witness’ who made these statements was in fact someone who participated much more actively in the ‘Proud Boys’ than Pezzola,” Zucker wrote.

Pezzola, through his lawyer, now promises to swear any involvement in the Proud Boys or any other like-minded group.

“He recognizes that he will at some point face punishment for his actions, even if they were undertaken with honorable but ill-advised intentions,” Zucker wrote.

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