Dominic Pezzola

Pezzola was a fairly new member of the Proud Boys at the time of the January 6 insurrection.[1] In his subsequent criminal trial in 2023, Pezzola's attorney called his common-law wife as a character witness; she testified that Pezzola had joined the Proud Boys in late 2020, after becoming increasingly isolated and obsessed with right-wing politics in summer 2020.[7] She testified that "He started drinking very heavily and inundated himself with Fox News day and night."[7]

According to federal prosecutors, Pezzola was among a group of about 100 Proud Boys who gathered near the Washington Monument at about 10:00 a.m. on January 6, 2021, led on the scene by Ethan Nordean. They had no intention of listening to Donald Trump's speech at The Ellipse. They were dressed incognito instead of in their customary black and yellow garb. Their alleged plan was to "split up into groups, attempt to break into the Capitol building from as many different points as possible, and prevent the Joint Session of Congress from certifying the Electoral College results."[8]

Pezzola was among the very first who reached the entrances to the Capitol, and "ripped away" an officer's riot shield, and "can be seen on video that has been widely distributed, using that riot shield to smash a window at the U.S. Capitol", according to prosecutors.[9] An FBI witness said that Pezzola had "bragged about breaking the windows to the Capitol and entering the building" and that Pezzola had "said that anyone they got their hands on they would have killed," including Nancy Pelosi[3] and Mike Pence.[4]

According to Politico, "Images of Pezzola smashing the Capitol window quickly proliferated after the attack and became a symbol of the brazen assault on Congress, which forced lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence to flee for safety."[10]

Pezzola was arrested nine days after the attack on the Capitol.[4] and his home was searched. Prosecutors said that they obtained a thumb drive that contained "instructions on how to make explosives and poison."[11]

Pezzola's actions were discussed extensively at the second impeachment of Donald Trump. Congressional delegate Stacey Plaskett said "Pezzola came to the Capitol on January 6 with deadly intentions," adding "He commandeered a Capitol Police shield, used it to smash a glass window, entered the Capitol, and paved the way for dozens of insurrectionists."[12]

In late February 2021, Pezzola's attorney said that he was considering a guilty plea, saying "Pezzola has indicated his desire to begin disposition negotiations and acceptance of responsibility for his actions."[12] Pezzola did not plead guilty.

Also in late February 2021, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Kenerson announced that charges of domestic terrorism would be added against Pezzola, describing it as a crime that "is calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate against government conduct," adding "At the entrance to the Capitol itself, Pezzola was not just on the front lines, but first to breach a window so successfully that he and other rioters could enter the Capitol through it".[13]

In March 2021, a federal judge denied Pezzola's attorneys' motion seeking their client's release on bail; Pezzola thus remained in pretrial detention.[14]

In June 2022, charges of seditious conspiracy were added against Pezzola.[15] Prosecutors said the goal of the conspiracy was to "to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force."[15] Pezzola was accused of "encouraging Proud Boys members to attend the January 6 protests, participating in meetings and encrypted conversations in Washington, D.C. to plan the attack, using communications equipment to coordinate the attack as it happened, directing, mobilizing, and leading the crowd onto Capitol grounds and inside the building, dismantling barricades, destroying property and assaulting police."[15]

In October 2022, Pezzola was among 33 jailed January 6 defendants who signed a petition asking to be transferred to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, claiming that the food and medical care was better there and that prisoners there had more religious freedom.[16]

In 2023, Pezzola and his four co-defendants were tried. Pezzola and Rehl were the only two to take the stand to testify in their own defense.[17][18] In his testimony, Pezzola first told the jury that he wanted "to take responsibility for my actions on January 6" but later lashed out on cross-examination, downplaying the violence and saying that the trial was "corrupt" and the charges against him were "fake."[18]

On May 4, 2023, following a three-month trial and 30 hours of jury deliberation, Pezzola was convicted of multiple charges, including obstruction of a Congressional proceeding, civil disorder, assaulting an officer, robbing an officer and destroying the window. The jury acquitted him of the most serious charge, seditious conspiracy, although his four co-defendants were convicted of that crime.[1][10] The jury deadlocked on other charges against Pezzola, including conspiring to obstruct the counting of the electoral votes.[1][2]