Current News

/

ArcaMax

Philly Proud Boy who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 with the group's top leaders sentenced to 100 days behind bars

Jeremy Roebuck, The Philadelphia Inquirer on

Published in News & Features

WASHINGTON — A former member of the Philadelphia Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol along with top leaders of the militant, far-right organization was sentenced to 100 days behind bars Tuesday — far less than what prosecutors had sought.

Brian Healion, 34, of Drexel Hill, apologized for his actions during the unprecedented riot, which interrupted Congressional certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory and threatened the peaceful transfer of presidential power.

"I made a big mistake," he told U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly during a hearing Tuesday in Washington. "I let a lot of people down ... and I'm very sorry for that."

But Kelly — who has presided over several Jan. 6 cases involving the Proud Boys including the last year's sedition trial of three top-ranking members and its former national chairman, Enrique Tarrio — said he viewed Healion's association with the right-wing organization as "relevant only on the margins" when it came to determining his punishment.

"I don't think the fact that he is a member of the Proud Boys — or any organized group is particularly relevant," the judge said, adding later: "Many, many people showed up that day and did things that were much, much worse. ... The core thing I'm looking at are his actions."

Prosecutors disagreed. They'd pushed for 15 months — more than two times what was recommended by federal sentencing guidelines in Healion's case.

 

His conduct during the riot may not have differed significantly from the hundreds of others who have been charged with only misdemeanors and sentenced to terms of probation — he did not assault police; he did not destroy property. But his participation in the Proud Boys' early planning for violence that day set him apart and was worthy of a more significant sentence, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle M. McWaters said.

"Healion's choice to march to and invade the Capitol grounds with other Proud Boys intent on obstruction and violence — and even sedition — made his conduct all the more dangerous," McWaters wrote, "and the objective — obstruction of the certification — all the more likely to succeed."

Healion, an assistant store manager for Fresh Grocer, is the second member of the Proud Boys Philadelphia chapter to be sentenced for playing a role in the Capitol attack. Its former leader, Zachary Rehl, is serving a 15-year sentence at a federal prison in Virginia after he was convicted at the sedition trial last year.

Two others — Isaiah Giddings, 31, and Freedom Vy, 39 — have both pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts and are awaiting sentencing.

...continued

swipe to next page

©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus