KERNERSVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) — A Kernersville man who was arrested for his participation in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol will testify in the trial of other accused fellow Proud Boys, the Winston-Salem Journal reports.
Charles Donohoe was not among the Proud Boys indicted for seditious conspiracy earlier this year, but his name pops up in the court documents. The men who will soon go on trial are Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola.
Jury selection for the trial of the five men, all accused of helping organize the January 6 attack via apps like Telegram, begins Monday.
In addition to sedition, they’re charged with conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties; civil disorder and aiding and abetting; two counts of destruction of government property and aiding and abetting; two counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.
Donohoe pleaded guilty on April 8 to one count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding a law enforcement officer, two of his six original charges.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison. He has no sentencing date set but the Journal reported that federal prosecutors could recommend that his sentence be reduced depending on the information he provides during the upcoming trial.
Donohoe is a veteran of the United States Marines, who did two tours in Iraq. Court documents indicate he joined the extremist group the Proud Boys in 2018 and became the leader of the Piedmont chapter shortly after. At the time of his arrest, the Journal reports he was working as a handyman for the Brewer’s Kettle in Kernersville.
What are Proud Boys?
The Proud Boys are a self-described “Western chauvinist” organization founded by former VICE Media co-founder Gavin McInnes. They claim to stand for “anti-white guilt” and “anti-political correctness,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which designates them as a hate group associated with white nationalism.
They have been visible at events like the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017, organized by then-Proud Boy Jason Kessler.
Recently, Proud Boys have been demonstrating at LGBTQ+ events across the country, particularly all-ages drag events like Drag Queen Story Hour.
Charles Donohoe is noted in court documents to have been the leader of the Piedmont chapter of the Proud Boys. A group identifying themselves at the Cape Fear Proud Boys has been highly visible at events in the eastern part of the state, including a story hour in Wilmington and brunches in Sanford and Raleigh.
They were responsible for the cancelation of a similar event in Snead’s Ferry, and pressure from them or people affiliated with them forced organizers of the Southern Pines Downtown Divas event to change their age policy.