Dec 9, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Proud Boy who wrote "Murder the Media" on Capitol sentenced to 4 years in prison

Shawna Chen

Photo of a giant American flag flying over a crowd of pro-Trump supporters at the Capitol — Pro-Trump protesters gather outside the U.S. Capitol grounds before breaching the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Photo: Tasos Katopodis via Getty Images

Two men, including the leader of Hawaii's Proud Boys chapter, were each sentenced to fours years in prison on Friday for their involvement in the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.

Driving the news: Nicholas Ochs, 36, and Nicholas DeCarlo, 32, threw smoke bombs at the police line on Jan. 6 before breaching the Capitol. DeCarlo defaced the Memorial Door with the words, "Murder the Media," the name of their social media channel, as Ochs recorded the action, according to the Department of Justice.

Details: Ochs, who founded the Hawaii branch of the far-right Proud Boys, traveled to D.C. from Honolulu and met up in Virginia with DeCarlo, who traveled from Texas.

Once they stormed the Capitol, Ochs and DeCarlo also "rummaged through a U.S. Capitol Police duffel bag" while DeCarlo took a pair of plastic handcuffs, prosecutors said.
Walking away from the building, Ochs allegedly said, "Sorry we couldn’t go live when we stormed the f----in’ U.S. Capitol and made Congress flee."
Both men pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding in September. In addition to their prison terms, Ochs will have to pay a $5,000 fine, $2,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. DeCarlo will similarly have to pay a $2,500 fine, $2,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment.

The big picture: The DOJ has arrested over 900 people in connection to the riots.

Worth noting: Ochs ran as a Republican for a seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives during the 2020 election but was defeated by Democrat Adrian Tam.

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Proud Boy who wrote "Murder the Media" on Capitol sentenced to 4 years in prison

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