Washington Proud Boy sentenced to 6 years in prison; 'Give me 100 years and I would still do it again'

WASHINGTON (CN) — A Washington state Proud Boy was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and for planning a failed second insurrection the next month in Portland, Oregon.

Marc Bru, 43, skipped then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally the morning of the riot, instead marching straight for the Capitol with a group of 20 other Proud Boys, where he clashed with officers and forced his way into the Senate gallery.

Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg noted that despite being on the “front line of the insurrection," Bru’s conduct was less violent than many other rioters — particularly compared with other Proud Boys, some of whom received sentences up to 22 years in prison.

But his later actions, contempt for the law and utter lack of remorse, including a series of defiant interruptions during Wednesday’s proceedings in Washington, D.C., federal court, warranted the 72-month sentence, the Barack Obama appointee said.

Before Boasberg had passed down the sentence, Bru declared just how little remorse he felt.

“You can give me 100 years and I would still do it again,” Bru said.

“Chip Roy was right to say ‘to hell with the feds,’” he added, referencing the Texas Republican congressman’s message Tuesday after a Supreme Court decision allowing federal officials to cut razor wire placed along the southern border.

Boasberg, showing little reaction to Bru’s words, called his statements “the definition of no remorse.”

Just a month after the Capitol riot, in February 2021, Bru began planning a second, “more violent” insurrection in Portland, Oregon, calling for thousands of “patriots” to occupy government buildings and courts in the city, according to the Justice Department’s sentencing memorandum.

The plot was foiled after he was arrested on seven federal charges in the case.

Immediately upon entering the courtroom, Bru began demanding Boasberg and Justice Department prosecutor Mike Gordon present their financial statements and tax records, accusing them of committing fraud and profiting off Jan. 6 prosecutions.

He repeated the demand throughout the proceedings, calling Boasberg “despicable” and “a clown,” and his court “illegal” and a “kangaroo court.”

While Gordon was speaking, Bru interrupted with objections multiple times, repeating his demand for Gordon and Boasberg’s financial information, to the point that Boasberg adjourned the court for a 10-minute recess.

When the proceeding resumed, additional U.S. marshals were present in the courtroom, both in the well and in the public gallery.

Boasberg allowed Bru to speak and said he would not charge him with contempt of court. Another Jan. 6 defendant, Brandon Fellows, was charged with contempt by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden in August for similar disruptions.

In a Tuesday night call to the Freedom Corner — a nightly vigil outside the Central Detention Facility where incarcerated Jan. 6 defendants are held — Bru revealed his intent to demand Boasberg and Gordon’s financial records.

“If they refuse … then I’m going to turn to the marshals and command them to arrest the judge and the prosecutor for human trafficking,” Bru said in the call, according to a notice to the court by the prosecution.

“Tomorrow’s going to be interesting,” he said. “It’ll be fireworks for sure.”

Boasberg levied a $7,940 fine against Bru for his fundraising efforts on GiveSendGo.com while he has been incarcerated.

Bru was convicted at a bench trial in October on five misdemeanor counts and two felony counts of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.

The second count, obstruction of an official proceeding, has become a staple charge in the Justice Department’s prosecution of the Capitol riot, with more than 332 rioters charged with 1512 (c)(2).

In December, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge against the charge, brought by a trio of Jan. 6 defendants, who argue the charge — created in the wake of the Enron scandal targeting the destruction of documents — has been used too broadly by the government.

The high court’s decision could affect hundreds of Capitol rioters’ sentences — some federal judges have put off proceedings for defendants who only face that charge pending their judgment — as well as Trump’s election subversion case, where he faces both 1512 and a related conspiracy charge.

Boasberg acknowledged the Supreme Court’s review but said it had little impact on his design.

“Even if 1512 were vacated, the sentence would be the same,” he said.

In the three years since the Capitol riot, over 1,265 people have been charged for their role in the riot, with approximately 470 people sentenced to time in prison.

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