Proud Boy pleads guilty to felony charge in Capitol riot

A New York man who was a member of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstructing Congress and conspiring to obstruct law enforcement during the pro-Trump riot on Jan. 6, a felony.

The plea is significant because Matthew Greene, 34, admitted coordinating with other members of the extremist group at the front of the Capitol mob, although there is no evidence he actually entered the building.

He is cooperating with prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Kenerson said in federal court in the District, and will likely get credit at or after sentencing for that cooperation and for acceptance of responsibility. The government estimates non-binding sentencing guidelines of 41 to 51 months. Greene has also agreed to pay a $2,000 fine.

Greene is the first self-admitted member of the Proud Boys to plead guilty and agree to cooperate with law enforcement in the cases stemming from the riot. He is set to be sentenced on March 10.

Prosecutors say that Greene, along with fellow New York Proud Boys William Pepe and Dominic Pezzola, “was one of the first people” to go past toppled barricades and up the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 6. Pepe pulled down a metal fence blocking the grounds, prosecutors allege, with Greene alongside him. Prosecutors say Pezzola stole a riot shield from a Capitol police officer while Greene was close behind.

Greene was among those who pushed past Capitol Police through the scaffolding set up for President Joe Biden’s inauguration, prosecutors say.

When police started used pepper spray to control the crowd, Greene retreated. According to an indictment, Pezzola continued up the steps and used the stolen riot shield to smash a window into the building before entering.

Pepe and Pezzola have pleaded not guilty, saying through lawyers that they did not plan with anyone for what happened on Jan. 6. Pezzola has said through an attorney that his association with the Proud Boys was “minimal and short lived,” and Pepe has said that he was not in the same chapter as Pezzola and Greene.

After the riot, Greene bragged that “we took the capital,” and then ordered over 2,000 rounds of assault-rifle ammunition and a gas mask, according to court records. In encrypted conversations with other Proud Boys, he said they had to “take back our country,” and “stand together now or end up in the gulag separately,” according to court records. He downplayed his association with the group to the FBI, prosecutors said, while telling members to be on guard for law enforcement.

Greene attended about three Proud Boys events between November 2020 and January 2021 and held “the lowest status in the organization,” according to a filing by defense attorney Michael Kasmarek. Greene has since “concluded that his personal beliefs and ethics do not align with those of the Proud Boys” and “is anxious to publicly disavow his brief membership in this group,” Kasmarek added.

Greene served in Afghanistan with the National Guard, according to court records, and now works in graphic design. He has no prior criminal history.

Dozens of people linked to the Proud Boys are accused of taking part in the riot at the Capitol. National leader Enrique Tarrio was arrested a few days before the insurrection for burning a stolen “Black Lives Matter” flag during a previous D.C. protest; he has since been sentenced to five months in jail.

An Arizona man who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in October, was given an orange arm band by a Proud Boy on Jan. 6 but says he did not know members of the group before that day, according to court records.

Greene’s plea comes two days after a federal judge overseeing an Oath Keepers conspiracy case found that the felony obstruction of Congress charge does not violate the Constitution. The judge overseeing Greene’s case has made a similar finding, although not in writing.