Nicholas Ochs | |
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Born | 1985or1986(age 37–38) [1] |
Alma mater | University of Hawaiʻi |
Employer | United States Marine Corps |
Organization | Proud Boys |
Known for | January 6 United States Capitol attack criminality |
Political party | Republican |
Conviction(s) | Obstructing an official proceeding (18 U.S.C. § 1512) |
Criminal penalty | 4 years imprisonment |
Nicholas Ochs (born 1985 or 1986), sometimes Nick Ochs, is a former U.S. Marine, a 2020 Republican Hawaii House of Representatives candidate, and the founder of the Proud Boys' Hawaii chapter.
After taking part in January 6 United States Capitol attack, he pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal proceeding and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Ochs attended the University of Hawaiʻi. [2]
Ochs has worked as a U.S. Marine, based in Hawaii. [3]
In November 2020, [2] Ochs ran as a Republican candidate to represent the Waikiki [4] neighbourhood in the Hawaii House of Representatives. [1] He won the primary but lost the general election [2] to Democratic candidate Adrian Tam. [5] During the election, Ochs's campaign page was removed from Facebook for breaching the company's terms of service. [5] Ochs won 29.7% of the vote, Tam won 63%. [6] Ochs's campaign was endorsed by Roger Stone. [7]
January 6 United States Capitol attack |
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Timeline • Planning |
Background |
Participants |
Aftermath |
Ochs is a high ranking "elder" of the Proud Boys right wing neo-fascist organisation. [2] During the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Ochs threw smoke bombs at police officers and trespassed into the United States Capitol where he smoked cigarettes. [3] The same day, he posted a photograph in front of the words "Murder the Media". [1]
In September 2022, Ochs pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal proceeding in a joint prosecution with Nicolas DeCarlo. [3] During his court appearance, Ochs claimed he was a journalist. [2] In December 2022, he was fined $5,000, and sentenced to four years in jail, and three years of supervised release. [3] [8]
Ochs was aged 36 in 2022. [1] He is married [9] and lived in Honolulu, Hawaii. [3]
Klete Derik Keller is an American former competitive swimmer and a convicted participant in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Before retiring from swimming in 2008, Keller won five Olympic medals, including two golds, at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
Oath Keepers is an American far-right anti-government militia whose leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the government of the United States, including the transfer of presidential power as prescribed by the United States constitution. It was incorporated in 2009 by founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, a lawyer and former paratrooper. In 2023, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and another Oath Keepers leader, Kelly Meggs, was sentenced to 12 years for the same crime. Three other members have pleaded guilty to this crime, and four other members have been convicted of it.
The 2014 United States Senate special election in Hawaii took place on November 4, 2014, the general Election Day in the United States, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The Proud Boys is an exclusively male North American far-right, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence. The group's leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the United States government, including the constitutionally prescribed transfer of presidential power. It has been called a street gang and was designated as a terrorist group in Canada and New Zealand. The Proud Boys are known for their opposition to left-wing and progressive groups and for their support of former U.S. President Donald Trump. While Proud Boys leadership has denied being a white supremacist organization, the group and some of its members have been connected to white supremacist events, ideologies, and other white power groups throughout its existence.
The Three Percenters are an American and Canadian far-right anti-government militia.
Henry "Enrique" Tarrio is an American far-right activist and convicted seditionist. From 2018 to 2021, he was the chairman of the Proud Boys, a far-right neo-fascist organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States. Along with three other Proud Boys leaders, Tarrio was convicted in May 2023 of seditious conspiracy for his role in the 2021 United States Capitol attack. In September 2023, Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
The Aloha ʻĀina Party is a political party in Hawaiʻi that advocates for the sovereignty of Hawaiʻi and the promotion of Hawaiian cultural values.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Hawaii, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
Joseph Randall Biggs is an American veteran, media personality, organizer of the Proud Boys, and convicted felon for his participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
Adrian Tam is an American politician serving as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, he is currently serves as the interim Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii.
Jonathan Derrick Evans is an American politician. He served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for the 19th district from December 1, 2020, to January 9, 2021.
Ethan Nordean, also known as Rufio Panman, is an American far-right political activist, convicted felon and a leader of the Proud Boys, an all-male neo-fascist organization that engages in political violence.
Dominic Pezzola is an American convicted felon and member of the Proud Boys who participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, a violent attack at the U.S. Capitol. He is best known for stealing a police riot shield and using it to break a Capitol window on January 6, 2021, making him the first rioter to breach the building. Indicted in 2021, on federal charges, he was tried in 2023 alongside Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and his key lieutenants, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl. In May 2023, following a five-month jury trial, Pezzola was convicted of obstructing a congressional proceeding, assaulting a police officer, and other crimes. He was acquitted of seditious conspiracy, the most serious charge. The jury deadlocked on other charges against Pezzola, including conspiring to obstruct the counting of the electoral votes.
On January 6, 2021, supporters of then President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building, disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes to formalize Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 United States Presidential Election. By the end of the month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had opened more than 400 case files and issued more than 500 subpoenas and search warrants related to the riot. The FBI also created a website to solicit tips from the public specifically related to the riot and were especially assisted by the crowdsourced sleuthing group Sedition Hunters. By the end of 2021, 725 people had been charged with federal crimes. That number rose to 1,000 by the second anniversary of the attack, and to 1,200 by the third anniversary, at which point over 890 people had been found guilty of federal crimes. These federal cases are handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (D.C.). State cases, of which there are fewer, are handled in the D.C. Superior Court.
Martin Defense Group, formerly Navatek is a military contractor based in Hawaii, founded by Steven Loui in 1979. It was later sold to Martin Kao.
Tusitala John Toese also known as Tiny, is a convicted felon. He is a member of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that engages in political violence in the United States. He was, and still is, a member of the Portland area far-right group Patriot Prayer, prior to joining the Proud Boys and has been convicted of multiple criminal charges for violence at rallies.
The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) is a police union and political action committee located in Honolulu which represents police across the state of Hawaii. Consisting of a separate chapter for each of the four counties in the state along with a statewide board of directors, SHOPO has engaged in lobbying and legal efforts to keep police misconduct files private, and roughly 10 percent of its spending is focused on advertising to promote police officers and the union itself.
Corruptly obstructing, influencing, or impeding an official proceeding is a felony under U.S. federal law. It was enacted as part of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 in reaction to the Enron scandal, and closed a legal loophole on who could be charged with evidence tampering by defining the new crime very broadly.
Kelly Meggs is an American convicted felon who previously led the Oath Keepers' Florida chapter. He was found guilty of seditious conspiracy following his forced entry into the United States Capitol during the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Meggs was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Jeremy Bertino is an American former member of the Proud Boys who testified against Enrique Tarrio during his trial for seditious conspiracy. Bertino was the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to the same charge.