Politics - News Analysis

Hawaii Proud Boys Founder Pleads Guilty to Role in Jan. 6 Riot and Faces 20 Years

No need to tell the story. It’s set out by the Justice Department’s release, which we can use in full without the bounds of fair use (Which we never waver from respecting):

Two men – including the founder of the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys — pleaded guilty today to a felony charge for their actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Nicholas Ochs, 36, of Honolulu, and Nicholas DeCarlo, 32, of Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to obstruction of an official proceeding.

According to court documents, Ochs is the founder of the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys describe themselves as members of a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists.”

As of Jan. 6, 2021, Ochs also was an “Elder” within the Proud Boys. Elders had a senior leadership role within the group, with responsibilities including the approval of new chapters.

Ochs traveled from Honolulu to Washington, D.C., arriving on Jan. 5. That night, he stayed at a hotel in Virginia with DeCarlo, who had traveled from Texas.

The two attended a rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6 and then marched to the Capitol, where they joined other people who were illegally on the grounds. They arrived at the West Front, near scaffolding in place for the inauguration.

A line of police was attempting to keep the mob from the inaugural stage. Both men threw smoke bombs at the police line.

They then climbed the stairs to the Upper West Terrace. At approximately 2:23 p.m., Ochs and DeCarlo illegally entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Doors.

They moved through the Crypt (where they filmed themselves smoking cigarettes), Capitol Visitor’s Center, East Foyer, Statuary Hall, and the Rotunda before exiting at 3 p.m.

Then, they approached the Chestnut-Gibson Memorial Door to the Capitol. There, DeCarlo wrote the words “Murder the Media” with a marker on the door, as Ochs recorded the action. “Murder the Media” was the name of the men’s social media channel.

DeCarlo and Ochs also rummaged through a U.S. Capitol Police duffel bag by the Memorial Door. DeCarlo took a pair of plastic handcuffs.

Walking away from the Capitol, with the building visible behind him, Ochs said, “sorry we couldn’t go live when we stormed the f—-in’ U.S. Capitol and made Congress flee.”

Ochs was arrested on Jan. 7, 2021, in Honolulu. DeCarlo was arrested on Jan. 26, 2021, in Burleson, Texas.

They are to be sentenced on Dec. 9, 2022. They face a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison for obstruction of an official proceeding, as well as potential financial penalties.

meet the author

Jason Miciak is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is originally from Canada but grew up in the Pacific Northwest. He now enjoys life as a single dad raising a ridiculously-loved young girl on the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He is very much the dreamy mystic, a day without learning is a day not lived. He is passionate about his flower pots and studies philosophical science, religion, and non-mathematical principles of theoretical physics. Dogs, pizza, and love are proof that God exists. "Above all else, love one another."

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