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.

61 points

17 years for OrangeLeader, who likely doesn’t even know who Joe Biggs is. He’ll be 55 years old when released (assuming full term).

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17 points

Did Joe Biggs ever regret listening to Trump’s lies? Has he said anything?

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83 points

Biggs grew emotional as he talked about his daughter, swearing on her life that he intended Jan. 6 to be his last event with the Proud Boys.

“I’m done with it. I’m sick and tired of left versus right,” Biggs said. The only group he wants to be affiliated with, he said, is his daughter’s PTA.

He’s an asshole. And he is sorry; sorry that he got caught. He’s sick of it now, but wasn’t then. He makes no statement about the victims of his violence. He makes no statements about the millions of nameless victims whose votes he wanted overturned.

Even if he had said he regretted acting on Trump’s lies, it wouldn’t mean a thing. He is just upset he got caught and punished. He’s an asshole.

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19 points

It’s how entitled people deal with consequences when consequences finally hit them.

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9 points

“…the last event with the Proud Boys” Joe B.

This statement seems odd to me. Like he was doing something bad and so far hasn’t got caught. Anyone know what he ment by that?

I hope once or if, Trump is in jail Trump loses his influence over his cult. Trump has used and discarded so many people. In Trump’s world only Trump matters.

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39 points

“I’m sick and tired of left versus right”

He hasn’t learned a thing. This is not a “left versus right” thing.

He’s in effect saying: “In the fight between democracy and justice versus fascism and tyranny, I simply want to say both sides are bad and go to my daughter’s PTA meetings to force my backwards views on children.”

Here’s hoping he can be reformed but if not, rot in prison dickhead.

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11 points

Fun fact: some of these dinks are going back on their regret statements, claiming they were a strategy to avoid heavy fines or jail or some such. What they don’t know is that this claim then opens them to re-prosecution for the same offenses they may have been acquitted of 😏

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14 points

He’d turn that PTA into a racist shithole given the chance.

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28 points

And hopefully never allowed to own a gun, vote or have internet access

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23 points

never allowed to own a gun

Somehow I doubt the guys convicted for trying to overthrow the government are real big on following laws.

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5 points

Who knows, maybe 17 years in the slammer will change that?

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10 points

Joyous news, thank you!

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14 points

Bye bye! Have fun in general pop, fuck-head!

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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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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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15 points
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Deleted by creator
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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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