Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs sentenced to 17 years for Capitol riot

A leader of the far-right Proud Boys has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, one of the longest sentences yet handed out over the US Capitol riot.

Prosecutors said US Army veteran Joe Biggs, 38, was an "instigator" of the storming of Congress on 6 January 2021.

The former Infowars correspondent was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges in May.

In court, Biggs pleaded for leniency and expressed remorse for his actions.

Biggs was convicted of a slew of charges in May, including seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to use, intimidation or threats to prevent officials from discharging their duties and interference with law enforcement during civil disorder.

In a sentencing memo, prosecutors said that Biggs - a veteran of the war in Iraq and former correspondent for conspiracy website Infowars - was a "vocal leader" of the Proud Boys and "employed his military experience to direct and control large groups of men under his command" to lead a "revolt against the government".

"Biggs viewed himself and his movement as a second American revolution where he and the other 'patriots' would retake the government by force," the memo said.

"January 6th will be a day in infamy," Biggs said in a video he recorded outside the US Capitol on the day of the riot.

Biggs went to trial alongside four other Proud Boys members including former chair Enrique Tarrio, whose sentencing was abruptly postponed on Wednesday. His sentencing is now scheduled to take place next week.

In court, prosecutors used text messages, social media posts and videos to show that the Proud Boys were involved in a coordinated effort to stop the certification of the 2020 election at the Capitol.

As of 6 August, over 1,100 people had been arrested on charges related to the riot, resulting in over 630 guilty pleas and 110 convictions.

Another prominent participant in the riot, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in May.