Federal officials file new charges against Proud Boys linked to Capitol riots

Russell Contreras

New charges have been filed against two members of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys in connection with last month's violent siege of the Capitol by pro-Trump supporters, federal court documents show.

Driving the news: Ethan Nordean, also known as Rufio Panman, of Washington state, was arrested Wednesday, and Nicholas Ochs, the leader of the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys, was charged with conspiracy to obstruct Congress.

Support safe, smart, sane journalism. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here.

What they're saying: "Nordean was observed marching at the front of a group of known Proud Boys shortly before the riot began. It is further alleged that Nordean was among those who entered the U.S. Capitol building after rioters...forced entry into the Capitol by means of destruction of Federal property," the Justice Department said in a statement.

  • An indictment alleged Ochs raised funds online to finance his trip to Washington, D.C., and publicized his plans to stop the certification of the presidential election.

  • Federal investigators say Ochs defaced the building’s Memorial Door and wrote the words “MURDER THE MEDIA” on it.

  • Ochs had previously faced a lesser charge in connection with the riot.

Between the lines: A Wall Street Journal investigation showed many members of the Proud Boys, including Ochs and Nordean, were key instigators of the riot.

Be smart: sign up FREE for the most influential newsletter in America.

Latest Stories

  • Israel's rapid rollout provides the first real-world proof that COVID vaccination works as well as promised

    Now that a huge share of Israelis have been vaccinated, experts are looking at the country’s experience as a kind of real-world, real-time experiment, with unique data that could start to answer some of our most pressing questions about the power of vaccines to curb the pandemic.  

  • Mother died protecting daughter from hitmen allegedly hired by her brother

    Police said Beaux Cormier hired two of his friends to kill his niece to stop her from testifying in a rape trial against him.

  • GOP Senators Will Force Dems to Vote on Paying Illegal Immigrants, Raising Taxes during Pandemic

    Senate Republicans will make Democrats vote on a number of controversial topics in the coming days as part of the budget reconciliation process that Democrats are using to pass President Biden’s COVID relief plan against GOP lawmakers’ wishes. Debate on the budget resolution began Wednesday and will continue in the Senate on Thursday. After that time expires, a “vote-a-rama” begins, allowing any senator to file an amendment to the resolution. As retribution for using budget reconciliation — which will allow Democrats to avoid the 60-vote threshold required to pass most legislation and instead only require just a simple majority vote to pass Biden’s plan — Republicans plan to force Democrats to vote on a number of hot button issues. “The new President talks a lot about unity, but his White House staff and congressional leadership are working from the opposite playbook,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), said of the budget reconciliation process. “We’ll be discussing the facts… Senate Republicans will be ready and waiting with a host of amendments to improve the rushed procedural step that’s being jammed through.” He continued: “We’ll be getting senators on the record about whether taxpayers should fund checks for illegal immigrants… whether Democrats should raise taxes on small businesses in the midst of this historic crisis… and whether generous federal funding should pour into school districts where the unions refuse to let schools open. And this is just a small taste.” While not all of the amendments that are introduced will receive a full floor vote and some may be dropped for violating the Byrd rule, which says anything passed during budget reconciliation must have to do with the federal budget, senators plan to bring up a wide array of issues. Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) introduced an amendment that would keep federal funding from going to schools that don’t reopen for in-person learning as battles over whether it is safe to return to the classroom rage across the country between teachers unions and school districts. Senator Steve Daines (R., Mont.,) said that he is spearheading seven amendments for the reconciliation process and co-sponsoring three others, including amendments that reverse Biden’s decision to scrap the Keystone XL oil pipeline project; resume oil and gas leasing on federal lands; stop tax increases while the pandemic is ongoing; prevent the federal government from using taxpayer money to implement the Paris Climate agreement; and more. Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.,) said that he plans to introduce amendments to support funding for the U.S. nuclear weapons program; oppose taxpayer funding from being used for abortion internationally and at domestic nonprofits; oppose illegal immigrants from using U.S.-government supported health care options; and support keeping the number of Supreme Court justices at nine. “Republicans are happy to work with Democrats to bring COVID-19 relief to the American people, but we cannot and will not support a bill that redirects funds to long-standing Democratic priorities,” Cotton said. “My amendments are designed to ensure the American people – not the Senate Democrats’ far-left policies – are protected.”

  • Beirut: Six months after the explosions that scarred a city, in pictures

    Six months after the Aug 4 blast that damaged much of the Lebanese capital, the scars of the explosion remain visible across Beirut. The investigation into what happened has been brought to a virtual halt by the same political rivalries that have dogged the country for years. What started as an investigation into how nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertiliser component, were stored in Beirut port for years, has taken a turn, wading into a web of murky international business interests in the explosives trade and global shipping. While there are still few answers, the devastation wrought by the explosion has been captured vividly in new pictures taken from a drone from above the blast site and surrounding area. A massive crater

  • David Hogg launching pillow company to compete with MyPillow's Mike Lindell

    March for Our Lives co-founder David Hogg tweeted on Thursday that he and software developer William LeGate are launching a pillow company to compete against MyPillow, which is led by Trump supporter CEO Mike Lindell. Driving the news: Lindell is one of former President Trump’s most adamant defenders and has repeatedly shared unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the election since President Biden took office.Get smarter, faster with the news CEOs, entrepreneurs and top politicians read. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here. * Lindell had a tumultuous interview with Newsmax earlier this week, where anchors attempted to block the CEO from reiterating conspiracies about the 2020 election. He refused. * Dominion Voting Systems also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Lindell last month and ordered him to preserve all documents related to the company. * Lindell told Axios in response: "I want Dominion to put up their lawsuit because we have 100% evidence that China and other countries used their machines to steal the election." * The Department of Justice has found no evidence to support Lindell's claims about Dominion Voting Systems or widespread voter fraud.Details... Hogg wrote that he and LeGate hope to "sell $1 million of product within our first year" and to launch in about six months. * "[W]e would like to do it sooner but we have strict guidelines on sustainability and [U.S.] based Union producers," Hogg added. * "Mike isn't going to know what hit him—this pillow fight is just getting started."What they're saying: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told Axios in a text Thursday morning, "Good for them.... nothing wrong with competition that does not infringe on someone's patent."Support safe, smart, sane journalism. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here.

  • Driver stuck in snow burns to death after repeatedly revving SUV's engine

    Little Ferry, New Jersey, police officers told the driver to let off the gas. When they tried to call for a tow truck, they noticed the SUV was on fire.

  • Prosecutors don't know where Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse is, want him arrested again

    Prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sought a new arrest warrant Wednesday for Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with killing two people during an Aug. 25 protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man now paralyzed from the waist down. The prosecutors said Rittenhouse has violated the terms of his $2 million bond by moving without informing the court or providing his new address. After a court filing sent to Rittenhouse was returned as undeliverable Jan. 28, Kenosha detectives visited Rittenhouse's listed address and discovered another man has been living there since mid-December, prosecutors explained. It is "extremely unusual for a defendant facing a charge of first-degree intentional homicide in Kenosha County to post cash bond and be released from custody pending trial," prosecutors said in their motion. "Rarely does our community see accused murderers roaming about freely." Along with Rittenhouse's arrest, they asked the court to increase his bond by $200,000, noting that since his $2 million bond had been paid from a "dubious internet fundraising campaign," Rittenhouse "has no financial stake in the bond" and no incentive to cooperate since "he is already facing the most serious possible criminal charges and life in prison." Rittenhouse's lawyer, Mark Richards, responded Wednesday night, saying his client is in an undisclosed "safe house" due to death threats and "has stayed in constant contact" with his lawyers, if not the courts. He said he had offered to provide prosecutors with the new address if they would keep it secret, and they declined. Rittenhouse, now 18, is accused of fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounding a third man. He says he fired in self-defense. Prosecutors sought to amend the terms of his bail last month after video footage captured him drinking with a group of Proud Boys at a Wisconsin bar and flashing white-power hand signs. It is legal for 18-year-olds to drink in bars in Wisconsin if a parent is present, and Rittenhouse's mom was apparently at the bar with him. More stories from theweek.com5 scathing cartoons about the GOP's Marjorie Taylor Greene problemMarjorie Taylor Greene is getting exactly what she wantsWhat the SAG Awards nominations might tell us about the 2021 Oscars

  • Pentagon, stumped by extremism in ranks, orders stand-down in next 60 days

    The U.S. military on Wednesday acknowledged it was unsure about how to address white nationalism and other extremism in its ranks, and announced plans for military-wide stand-downs pausing regular activity at some point in the next 60 days to tackle the issue. The decision to a hold a stand-down was made by Lloyd Austin, who made history by becoming the military's first Black defense secretary after a long career rising in the ranks of the Army. In his confirmation hearing, Austin underscored the need to rid the military of "racists and extremists".

  • Ilhan Omar blasts ‘Looney Tunes’ Republicans after they try drawing her into Marjorie Taylor Greene scandal

    'This is not about me and it should not be about me,' said Democrat

  • Search Continues Chula Vista Woman Who Vanished Without a Trace 1 Month Ago

    A Filipino American woman has been missing for nearly a month after vanishing without a trace from her home in Chula Vista, California. “It was odd -- she was always the first to answer, and this trip was for her daughter’s birthday,” Maricris Drouaillet, her sister, told NBC News’ Dateline. Initial attempts to contact May’s husband, Larry Millete, as well as their three children, were reportedly unsuccessful.

  • WH says proposed $1,400 relief is not breaking campaign promise of $2,000 checks

    In a White House briefing on Wednesday, press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden was not breaking a campaign promise of delivering Americans $2,000 in coronavirus relief. Psaki said the current proposal of $1,400 in a relief bill would be in addition to $600 relief checks that were distributed during the Trump administration.

  • 27 Best Desk Lamps to Brighten Up 2021

    Let there be lightOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Biden, at prayer breakfast, calls out 'political extremism'

    President Joe Biden on Thursday called for a confrontation of the “political extremism” that inspired the U.S. Capitol riot and appealed for collective strength during such turbulent times in remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, a Washington tradition that asks political combatants to set aside their differences for one morning. The breakfast has sparked controversy in the past, particularly when President Donald Trump used last year's installment to slam his political opponents and question their faith.

  • Gunman who killed FBI agents led a seemingly mundane life. But some neighbors were wary

    The FBI on Wednesday identified the gunman who mowed down five FBI agents at the door of his Sunrise apartment — but as agents pored over the crime scene for a second day, what prompted the violent outburst remained a mystery.

  • Lauren Boebert: QAnon-supporting Republican claims 38,000 miles worth of gas money on Congress expenses

    In order to justify a reimbursement of such a big amount, Boebert’s distance driven during the campaign has to be 38,712 miles

  • Palestinian cave-dwellers worry over Israeli settler incursions

    Home for Palestinian Barakat Mour is a hillside cave in the West Bank, which he says is often under threat from Israeli settlers in the occupied territory. "You'll be sitting with your wife in the cave and the settlers will raid it without any notice," Mour, 60, told Reuters about his family's dwelling near the West Bank city of Hebron. The Israeli military said that in recent weeks "there have been several reports of friction between settlers and Palestinians in caves near the village of (At-Tuwani)" and that troops worked to "separate the participants and restore order".

  • GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger mocks GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz after House GOP votes to keep Liz Cheney in leadership

    House Republicans voted by secret ballot Wednesday night to retain Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) as the No. 3 leader in their caucus, so it's impossible to know which 145 Republicans voted to keep Cheney in leadership and which 61 voted to oust her for voting to impeach former President Donald Trump. But you'd be pretty safe betting that Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) — who joined Cheney and eight other GOP colleagues to impeach Trump — voted for Cheney and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who traveled to Wyoming to attack Cheney, did not. No we voted. You were just wrong by like, a huuuuuge margin. https://t.co/2iwjlxpB3J — Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) February 4, 2021 Gaetz had assured Stephen Bannon on his "War Room" podcast that their faction of the GOP had enough votes to remove Cheney, but also predicted that the "establishment" would find some way to "avoid a vote." Cheney reportedly insisted on a vote during the closed-door House GOP meeting, in which she also pointedly declined to apologize for voting to impeach Trump. More stories from theweek.com5 scathing cartoons about the GOP's Marjorie Taylor Greene problemProsecutors don't know where Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse is, want him arrested againMarjorie Taylor Greene is getting exactly what she wants

  • Boris Johnson prepared to override parts of Brexit deal on Northern Ireland

    Boris Johnson has warned Brussels that he is prepared to override parts of the Brexit deal on Northern Ireland unless the EU agrees to extend grace periods for traders and supermarkets until January 2023. Ratcheting up pressure on the European Commission on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said he was prepared to do "everything we need to do" to protect businesses in the province and ensure there was no sea border in the Irish Sea. It came as Michael Gove wrote to his EU counterpart, Maros Sefcovic, demanding that a three-month leniency period for supermarkets be extended by two years. The letter, leaked to The Telegraph, called for a similar extension for chilled meat products if a permanent solution cannot be found before the six-month stopgap ends, along with the flow of parcels and medicines across the Irish Sea. It also urges Brussels to reconsider rules on the importation of seed potatoes – amid reports that officials are blocking shipments that contain too much British soil – and for a bilateral agreement to be struck with Ireland on pet transport. Should the EU fail to agree to the UK's demands, Mr Gove said the Government would use "all instruments at its disposal" to protect the integrity of the UK internal market. In a meeting with Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland's First Minister, Mr Johnson also reportedly hit out at the EU's "cavalier approach" to Northern Ireland after it controversially moved to erect a hard vaccine border on the island of Ireland last week.

  • Is this the ultimate Florida man? Forehead tattoo just made this guy internet famous

    Better call Lyft.

  • 7 insurgents, 2 troops killed in separate raids in Pakistan

    Pakistani security forces and police acting on intelligence Wednesday raided suspected militant and separatist hideouts, triggering shootouts that killed seven insurgents and two soldiers. Kamran Hussain, an official with Pakistan's counter-terrorism department, said in a statement the first raid took place in the district of Dera Ghazi Khan in the eastern Punjab province. The raid left three militants from the outlawed Baluchistan Republican Army dead, he said.