- A Capitol rioter who marched with the Proud Boys on January 6, 2021, pleaded guilty to one obstruction count.
- Joshua Pruitt, 40, initially faced eight charges stemming from his role in the insurrection.
- Prosecutors say Pruitt was caught on camera throwing a sign and a chair while inside the Capitol.
A former Proud Boy who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, pleaded guilty last week to one felony obstruction charge for his role in the insurrection.
Joshua Pruitt, 40, initially faced eight counts stemming from the attack, including civil disorder, destruction of government property, and acts of physical violence in a Capitol building. But as the government works to prosecute the more than 850 people arrested in connection with the attack, federal prosecutors have offered some rioters lesser charges in exchange for their guilty pleas.
Pruitt faces up to 20 years in prison, though guidelines suggest his sentence is more likely to fall between 51 to 63 months. He is set to be sentenced in August.
In plea papers, Pruitt acknowledged that he nearly came face-to-face with then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer amid the chaos of the siege. After admitting to throwing a chair toward police officers inside the Capitol, Pruitt said he came across Schumer's security detail waiting for an elevator as they attempted to move the lawmaker to safety.
"As they waited, a member of Senator Schumer's security detail saw Pruitt and one other man approaching. The security detail and Senator Schumer reversed course and ran away from the elevator, back down the ramp, and away from Pruitt," he acknowledged in court documents.
Footage from inside the Capitol that day shows Pruitt — donning a "Punisher" tank top and tactical hand glove — throwing a "Quiet Please" sign and a chair across a room in the Capitol Visitors' Center, according to court documents. Prosecutors said he was also present for confrontations between Capitol police and rioters.
After an officer announced that shots had been fired, Pruitt and several other rioters made to leave. Pruitt said he eventually exited the building by climbing out a window. Later that day he sent a text confirming that he was "about to go at it with the cops" and saying "inside was fun."
An attorney for Pruitt did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Pruitt was first arrested that night for breaking a citywide curfew. He remained on pre-trial release for some time before several violations sent him back to jail. He continues to be detained ahead of his sentencing.
Last year, Pruitt told CNN that he became affiliated with the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group whose members were out in droves during the Capitol riot, at a pro-Trump MAGA march in November of 2020. Pruitt told the outlet he found himself fighting with a group of anti-Trump protesters at the rally, when suddenly he was surrounded by a group of Proud Boys providing him backup.
"I actually did not even know who the Proud Boys were at the time, but they saved me from getting jumped," he said.
Video of Pruitt being initiated into the group by leader Enrique Tarrio later went viral. Earlier this year, Pruitt said he no longer associates with members of the Proud Boys but told CNN that he rejected the government's request to cooperate in their conspiracy cases against members of the group.
On Monday, five top Proud Boys were charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol attack, including leader Enrique Tarrio.