WASHINGTON, D.C.— A North Carolina leader of the far-right-wing group, Proud Boys, plead guilty today to felony charges stemming from his actions during the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
According to the United States Department of Justice, 34-year-old Charles Donohoe, of Kernersville, North Carolina pled guilty to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting officers.
The Justice Department said, as part of his plea deal, Donohoe will help with ongoing investigations.
The United States Attorney General’s Office says the Proud Boys describe themselves as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists.”
Donohoe joined the Proud Boys in 2018 and became the president of his local Proud Boys chapter in North Carolina, said federal agents.
In December 2020, according to the court documents, Enrique Tarrio, then the Proud Boys national chairman, formed a new Proud Boys chapter known as the “Ministry of Self Defense,” which focused on the planning and execution of national rallies.
Court documents say that the group least as of January 4, 2021, was making plans regarding the storming of the Capitol.
Donohoe said he believed that storming the Capitol would achieve the goal of stopping newly elected Joe Biden from taking office following the defeat of Donald Trump.
On Jan. 6, Donohoe with at least a 100 or more Proud Boys marched to the Capitol.
The Justice Department said, shortly after noon on January 6, the group assembled just blocks from the Capitol Building. At approximately 1:00 p.m., the group arrived at the Capitol, and according to authorities, began breaching the barriers surrounding the Capitol grounds.
Federal agents said Donohoe threw water bottles at law enforcement officers. As the events of that day unfolded, Donohoe joined with the mob, and push their way into the Capitol. Donohoe’s co-defendant, Dominic Pezzola, officials say, allegedly broke open a window in the building.
The U.S. Attorney General’s Office said, hours later, Donohoe posted messages celebrating the group’s actions.
Donohoe was arrested on March 11, 2021, and has been detained since his arrest. He is among six defendants – including Tarrio and Pezzola – indicted in the District of Columbia on conspiracy and other charges; the others have pleaded not guilty.
Donohoe now faces up to 20 years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to eight years in prison on the charge of assaulting officers.
Sentencing in his case has yet to be scheduled.
Since the January 6th insurrection nearly 800 people have been arrested in all 50, including over 250 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.