A leader of the Proud Boys who led the far-right organization’s infamous march to the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was sentenced Wednesday to 17 years in prison – among the longest sentence handed down yet for a convicted rioter.

Joe Biggs was convicted by a Washington, DC jury of several charges including seditious conspiracy for attempting to forcibly prevent the peaceful transfer of power from then-President Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 election.

The government wanted Biggs to serve 33 years in federal prison. That’s 15 years longer than the longest sentence in a Jan. 6 case to date: the 18-year sentence that went to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, also convicted of seditious conspiracy, after prosecutors sought 25 years in federal prison.

28 points

33 years would have been better. A firing squad even betterer.

But nearly 20 years is better than the slap on the wrists that other traitors were getting.

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7 points
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Just FYI, Thomas Webster got 10 years and Stewart Rhodes got 18 years. (So as to say this isn’t the first that’s actually gotten some significant time behind bars)

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-8 points

Why are they all getting basically a slap in the hand?

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22 points
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1.) First of all, fuck Joe Biggs, he’s a traitor.

2.) Federal Sentencing Guidelines are a thing.

3.) 17 Years is not a slap on the wrist. He’ll be losing his military benefits & retirement as well.

4.) The government may still appeal this sentencing, as they are for Steward Rhodes.

5.) He’s subject to USMJ & has been found guilty of Sedition. They can still have a turn with him.

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-9 points

Americans and their life-sentence-lust. Wild.

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9 points

He’s a military vet that attacked his country, he’s lucky he’s not being executed.

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15 points
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Deleted by creator
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12 points

Even if he serves all 17 years, it’s unlikely he rehabilitates and incredibly like he goes right back to it.

People get 30 years for having a couple hundred dollars of weed.

We wouldn’t be complaining about his sentence so much if the rest of our sentences were also lesser

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6 points

Imagine punishing someone for attacking democracy and attempted an armed insurrection. I don’t believe in the death sentence on moral grounds, but life imprisonment is a suitable alternative for the most extreme crimes.

I’m curious how Europe, with its long history of revolution, torture and guillotines, would handle a coup attempt.

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10 points

He literally tried to overthrow the government and overturn the peaceful transition of power through a coup. People died that day defending goverment workers from people who were going around with flexicuffs and blindfolds while other people strung up nooses. They were planning on executing innocent people.

Officers defending them got beaten so badly, they died the next day.

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5 points
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He tried to overthrow a democratic elected government. What do you think they would have done have they ran into Pelossi or Pence? They had nooses. It was pre-planned and we don’t even know who in the government helped them. I’m not American btw

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8 points
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The guy should’ve been executed, but the burden on the prosecution might’ve been a high bar to cross for that punishment. At least he’ll be serving in federal prison, which is far harder time than state prison. Federal prison sentences for example won’t allow him to commute his sentence or ask for parole as easily as state sentences. You often hear about people serving only a fraction of their sentence in state prison; this avenue is not possible with federal charges. The president (Trump or a sympathizer) could commute or pardon him, but I think that’s a bridge Trump wouldn’t cross based on his current track record of pardons. Trump’s pardons were largely political gains for him (self serving) and I don’t think a troublemaker would in the end help him very much.

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18 points

Man is lucky he wasn’t executed.

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3 points

Has to be war time for that, right?

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-1 points
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Deleted by creator
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10 points
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He doesn’t fit element A, so this whole discussion is moot. Please stop spreading misinformation. Also, if you’re gonna cite the UCMJ, cite the corresponding statute number (Article 94). Also, it helps if you spell UCMJ correctly

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4 points
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The Rosenbergs were executed in peacetimes.

Edit:

Currently, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 14 offenses are punishable by death. Under the following sections of the UCMJ, the death penalty can be imposed in both times of war and peace

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_by_the_United_States_military

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4 points

SSG Biggs isn’t eligible for UCMJ under current precedent. He has not served enough time, was medically discharged, and is not eligible for retirement benefits to my knowledge.

https://www.tullylegal.com/resources/articles/can-you-be-charged-under-the-ucmj-after-discharge/

I had thought the person I replied to was referencing treason in the constitution but I may be wrong about war/peace about that.

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102 points

Imagine throwing away your life because a different party is rightfully elected. Your wife is gone. She’s not staying around, because in 17 years you will both be different people. Your kid is gone. You will never know your kid, even when you get out.

It’s stupid, because presidents promise so much, but do so little. You threw away your life for pretty much nothing.

Fucking idiots lol.

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0 points

They don’t think they did anything wrong.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking people like this can be reasoned with. They can not.

We are better off executing people like this. Prison for life is a close second.

Keeping them alive only emboldens others to follow in their footsteps until they succeed.

No I am not ‘stooping to their level’ in suggesting that traitors are executed.

There’s a reason treason carries the death penalty.

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0 points

Wow

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