A former Marine who cooperated with the federal government within the prosecution of fellow members of a far-right group for his or her involvement within the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced Tuesday to a few years and 4 months in jail.
Charles Donohoe, 35, a former prime chief within the Proud Boys, has been in jail since he was arrested in March 2021. He pleaded responsible final 12 months to felony conspiracy and assault costs associated to the Capitol assault and could also be eligible for launch in a few months as a result of he’ll get credit score for the time he has already served, The Related Press reported.
Data on Donohoe’s cooperation was redacted from court docket data, however his case is one in all many involving a veteran trying to disrupt the 2020 presidential election.
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Donohoe’s sentencing comes months after Proud Boys chief Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in jail for his involvement within the riot, the longest sentence associated to Jan. 6 handed out up to now. The DoJ described Donohoe as Tarrio’s “trusted lieutenant;” the Marine veteran was additionally president of a Proud Boys chapter in North Carolina.
“I knew what I used to be doing was unlawful from the very second these barricades received knocked down,” Donohoe stated at his listening to this week, in line with the AP.
Prosecutors stated that Donohoe was instrumental to the Proud Boys operation as an on-the-ground chief appearing because the group’s “eyes and ears” on the Capitol on Jan. 6. He would relay real-time data again to a Proud Boys group chat designated “Ministry of Self Protection,” or MOSD.
“Oops! Appears to be like like we simply stormed the Capitol constructing!” he wrote within the chat, in line with court docket data. Greater than 100 members of the Proud Boys marched on the Capitol, the AP reported.
“Donohoe was a trusted member of the Proud Boys’ MOSD who leveraged his expertise and experiences gained whereas serving this nation in an effort to assist lead the Proud Boys’ efforts to stop the peaceable switch of presidential energy,” stated Jon Lewis, a analysis fellow with George Washington College’s Program on Extremism.
“As we have now seen in lots of instances of veteran participation in January 6, the very traits which Donohoe is lauded for creating within the Marines made him a valued and high-ranking member of the Proud Boys,” Lewis stated. “Whereas his plea deal and cooperation distinguishes Donohoe’s case from his Proud Boy management co-defendants who have been lately sentenced following trial convictions, Donohoe’s place as a member of the seditious conspiracy’s interior circle is obvious from the proof set forth within the court docket data.”
As soon as close to the Capitol, Donohoe joined in scuffles with legislation enforcement, throwing water bottles at a police line and dealing with a stolen police protect, in line with court docket data. Police ultimately fired a pepperball, which scared off Donohoe and despatched him again to his resort, data state.
Donohoe joined the Marine Corps in 2006 and deployed twice to Iraq, in line with court docket data. He was honorably discharged in 2010, happening to work for personal army firms and the State Division as a contractor although “he struggled with adjusting to civilian life,” the data added.
A Army.com investigation into efforts by extremist teams to recruit veterans discovered that the time after leaving army service is usually a very unstable one for service members, which can permit these teams to make the most of veterans in search of neighborhood after serving.
The George Washington Program on Extremism stated that greater than 100 rioters with recognized army connections, largely veterans, have been charged for his or her involvement with the Jan. 6 riot — about 12% of all defendants within the case. A few of the most notable sentences have been in opposition to veterans, together with these within the far-right group the Oath Keepers and its chief, Army veteran Stewart Rhodes.
“It took Charlie time to grasp the character of his fallacious,” Ira Knight, Donohoe’s protection lawyer, stated of his actions on the Capitol and involvement with the Proud Boys, as quoted by the AP.
