Capitol riot: Proud Boy pleads guilty and agrees to cooperate with authorities

An admitted member of the far-right Proud Boys group has pleaded guilty to felony charges over his involvement in the 6 January Capitol Hill riot.

Matthew Greene, 34, has also agreed to cooperate with the government. He is believed to be the first member of the group to do so.

Prosecutors say Mr Greene was in the "first wave" of rioters to cross police lines, though Mr Greene's lawyer claims he did not enter the Capitol building.

He now faces up to 51 months in prison.

While his charges - one count of obstruction of an official proceeding and one count of conspiracy to obstruct - carry a total potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison plus fine, Mr Greene will receive a shorter sentence as a part of his plea deal.

Additionally, Mr Greene has agreed to pay $2,000 (£1,400) in restitution for damages caused to the Capitol building during the riot.

Mr Greene, a resident of Syracuse, New York, first joined the state's Proud Boys chapter in December 2020, according to court documents.

The following month, Mr Greene and other members of the Proud Boys travelled to Washington DC, where they "intentionally dressed in clothing that concealed their membership as Proud Boys".

On 6 January, Mr Greene was among the first group of rioters to cross a downed police line and enter the Capitol plaza and walked up a flight of steps towards the Capitol, prosecutors said.

There is no evidence of him entering the building. According to court documents, Mr Greene and other rioters - including members of the Proud Boys - helped remove additional police barricades.

Mr Greene was taken into custody on 21 April, along with two other Proud Boys who have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

In a statement, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said Mr Greene's group had agreed before the riot to coordinate their actions through various communication methods, including programmable radios.

He is due back in court for sentencing on 10 March.

To date, more than 700 people have been charged with crimes relating to the 6 January riot, including several dozen people reportedly affiliated with the Proud Boys.

Founded in 2016 by Canadian-British right-wing activist Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys is a far-right, anti-immigrant, all male group with a history of street violence against left-wing groups.

In August, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was given nearly six months in jail for burning a Black Lives Matter flag and a weapons crime that took place in December 2020. He was arrested on 4 January, just two days before the Capitol Riot.