Proud Boys Member Pleads Guilty and Will Cooperate in Jan. 6 Riot Inquiry

A Proud Boys subordinate who was among the archetypal to transverse the constabulary enactment astatine the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6 pleaded blameworthy connected Wednesday and agreed to cooperate with the authorities — perchance against different members of the far-right extremist group, the authorities said.

The defendant, Matthew Greene, 34, of Syracuse, N.Y., was astir apt the archetypal subordinate of the Proud Boys, a radical that describes itself arsenic “Western chauvinists,” to plead blameworthy to charges stemming from the riot, his lawyer, Michael Kasmarek, said connected Wednesday.

Mr. Greene was “among the archetypal wave” to unreserved up the Capitol steps aft the constabulary enactment was breached, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said successful a statement connected Wednesday. After helium came down the stairs, helium moved constabulary barricades, prosecutors said. His lawyer maintains that helium ne'er entered the Capitol building.

Mr. Greene and different Proud Boys members had agreed earlier the siege to pass done programmable radios, prosecutors said. They were “intentionally dressed successful covering that concealed their rank arsenic Proud Boys,” the connection said.

Mr. Greene spent overmuch of the rally alongside Dominic Pezzola of Rochester, N.Y., who was spotted bashing a Capitol model with a constabulary shield successful a wide seen video. Mr. Pezzola, 44, was later identified successful a transgression complaint arsenic portion of a radical that spoke astir sidesplitting erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He has pleaded not blameworthy to a litany of charges, prosecutors said.

Mr. Greene faces up to 25 years successful situation connected 1 number of conspiracy and 1 number of obstruction of an authoritative proceeding, prosecutors said. But helium could person a condemnation of 41 to 51 months due to the fact that helium agreed to cooperate with investigators, Mr. Kasmarek said.

He is acceptable to beryllium sentenced connected March 10, prosecutors said. His lawyer declined to accidental wherever helium was being held until then.

After Mr. Greene returned location from the riot, helium ordered much than 2,000 rounds of assault-rifle ammunition and told an “acquaintance” to beryllium acceptable “to bash uncomfortable things,” according to a motion that prosecutors filed successful June. The F.B.I. seized his ammunition on with an AR-15 firearm and handguns portion they were conducting a hunt astatine his location connected Jan. 18.

Mr. Greene was arrested successful April and agreed to stock accusation with the government, Mr. Kasmarek said, adding that Mr. Greene “wants to instrumentality work for what helium did.”

Key Figures successful the Jan. 6 Inquiry

Prosecutors said the Proud Boys played a starring role successful the onslaught successful which a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, injuring dozens of constabulary officers successful a rampage that near respective radical dead.

The organization, which has maintained links with some overt achromatic supremacists and more mainstream Republicans, has been a vocal — and often convulsive — protagonist of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump. During 1 of the statesmanlike debates, Mr. Trump seemed to awesome his enactment by telling its members to “stand backmost and basal by.”

In the aftermath of the riot, the national authorities utilized the afloat scope of their powers to analyse the organization. F.B.I. agents person executed hunt warrants successful New York, California, Florida, Missouri and Washington State.

Along with Mr. Pezzola, Mr. Greene besides spent overmuch of the rally with William Pepe of Beacon, N.Y. The charges against Mr. Pepe, 32, were lone scantly described. In a criminal complaint issued connected Jan. 11, prosecutors said that helium had utilized a time of sick permission to be a “Stop the Steal” protestation successful Washington, D.C., and was subsequently photographed wrong the Capitol.

Mr. Pepe has pleaded not guilty, prosecutors said.

More than 700 radical person been charged since the siege, the Justice Department said, including members of the Oath Keepers, a decade-old antigovernment militia group. Four members of the radical person pleaded blameworthy and are cooperating with investigators.

Alan Feuer contributed reporting.