Ethan Nordean
Ethan Nordean | |
---|---|
Born | 1990 or 1991 (age 33–34)[1] |
Nationality | American |
Other names | Rufio Panman |
Organization | Proud Boys |
Known for | Proud Boys recruiter and leader |
Criminal charges | Disorderly conduct
Obstructing an official proceeding Seditious conspiracy |
Criminal penalty | 18 years in prison[2] |
Criminal status | Sentenced |
Children | 1 |
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.
He played a prominent role in the
Activism
In mid-2017, Nordean started attending rallies in
Following that incident, a meme featuring video of that punch went viral, and Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys, praised Nordean's role in the violent episode, calling it "the turning point in our war against antifa".[9] McInnes compared it to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which triggered World War I.[10]
The footage of the incident was used in recruiting videos for the Proud Boys that featured special effects and dramatic music. By October 2019, five of the most popular videos had over 1.5 million views on YouTube.[11]
Shortly thereafter, Nordean was interviewed at length on
Joe Rogan discussed Nordean's role in the violent incident on his podcast, in a segment about antifa and street fighting.[11] Nordean was later interviewed by Alex Jones a second time.[15]
Nordean set up a private Facebook page to vet the fighting abilities of Proud Boys recruits. Despite complaints in 2018, Facebook declined to take down that page.[16]
Rise to Proud Boys leadership
Nordean was designated "Proud Boy of the Week" by the group's magazine.[13] On November 25, 2018, the Proud Boys released their revised bylaws on Scribd with the names of the top leadership supposedly redacted. Due to a technical error, the names could be recovered, and Nordean was listed as a member of the eight man "Elder Chapter", the top level leadership group, under his alias, Rufio Panman.[17]
In the years that followed, Nordean took a leading role as an organizer of Proud Boys events and rallies. Devin Burghart, president of the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights, said, "He's been helping map the direction of the organization and recruiting members ... In no small part, he's been responsible for moving the group even more to the extreme far right and on a more violent path forward."[9] Nordean operated a video podcast called "Rebel Talk with Rufio".[9]
Following the 2020 U.S. presidential election
On December 11, 2020, Nordean was on the stage during a demonstration before the December 12
On December 27, 2020, Nordean posted on Parler, saying "Anyone looking to help us with safety/protective gear, or communications equipment it would be much appreciated, things have gotten more dangerous for us this past year, anything helps".[9] On January 4, 2021, Nordean posted a video on his Rebel Talk with Rufio podcast that was captioned, "Let them remember the day they decided to make war with us".[9]
In the run-up to the
Participation in the 2021 Capitol attack
January 6 United States Capitol attack |
---|
Timeline • Planning |
Background |
Participants |
Aftermath |
A video documentary produced by the
They marched south past the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court building, and circled around the Capitol complex, approaching from the southwest. The Proud Boys contingent constituted a "a large proportion of the first wave" that reached the Capitol, and one Proud Boys member, Dominic Pezzola, used a seized police shield to break a window to gain access to the building.[20]
Prosecutors alleged Nordean was a chief organizer of a mob of about 100 Proud Boys[8] that marched through Washington before the breach of the Capitol.[21]
Arrest and aftermath
According to prosecutors, on January 8, Nordean posted an image of a Capitol Police officer shooting pepper spray at rioters. The caption read, "If you feel bad for the police, you are part of the problem..."[22] On February 3, Nordean was arrested and charged with four federal crimes, including obstructing an official proceeding, aiding and abetting injury to government property, disorderly conduct and knowingly and violently entering a restricted building. If convicted on all four charges, Nordean could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison.[9]
On February 7, federal judge Beryl Howell denied Nordean's bail request, and ordered him to be returned to Washington, DC pending trial. Prosecutors argued that "There is no reason to believe that Defendant, or any of his Proud Boy associates, are any more interested in 'complacency,' or any less interested in fomenting rebellion, than they were on January 5," adding, "If nothing else, the events of January 6, 2021, have exposed the size and determination of right-wing fringe groups in the United States, and their willingness to place themselves and others in danger to further their political ideology."[23]
On March 3, 2021, Howell ordered Nordean released to home detention with GPS monitoring pending trial, finding that though he "indisputably participated" in the Capitol assault, the government's evidence of specific acts of violence and property damage was "weak."[24] Before ruling, the judge noted that evidence clearly showed Nordean had been heavily involved in organizing the Proud Boys on January 6, 2021.[25]
In April 2021, district judge Timothy J. Kelly revoked Nordean's pretrial release, returning him to jail. The judge cited an abundance of evidence for planned violence.[26]
Prosecutors included in a May 2021 court filing a Telegram message Nordean had sent expressing a sense of betrayal, lamenting that Trump had pardoned "a bunch of degenerates as his last move and shit on us on the way out" and "now I've got some of my good friends and myself facing jail time cuz we followed this guys lead and never questioned it."[27]
Sentencing
Nordean was sentenced to 18 years in prison by judge Timothy J. Kelly in September 2023.[2] The prosecution asked U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly to enhance the sentence of Nordean to 27 years on Friday by ruling that their acts to disrupt the electoral vote certification qualified as terrorism. Kelly had agreed to this request of prosecutors. [28]
Nordean told the judge, “the truth is, I did help lead a group of men back to the Capitol. There is no excuse for my actions, ignoring police commands, going past barricades, entering the Capitol. Adding myself to the dangerous situation was sorely irresponsible. I would like to take the time to apologize to anyone I wronged. There is no excuse for what I did. I would also like to apologize for my lack of leadership that day.”[28]
Personal life
Nordean has lived in or near Auburn, Washington his entire life. He is married and has a daughter.[9]
His father, Michael Nordean, owns and operates Wally's Chowder House restaurants in
Nordean's alias derives from a character in the 1991
In June 2020, Nordean's father issued a statement calling his son's beliefs "misguided" and reported, "Ethan no longer works for our restaurants."[9][30] Following the storming of the Capitol and his son's arrest, he issued another statement that said, "We have tried for a long while to get our son off the path which led to his arrest today — to no avail. Ethan will be held accountable for his actions."[31]
References
- ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (March 14, 2021). "Police Shrugged Off the Proud Boys, Until They Attacked the Capitol". New York Times. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ a b c Butts, Keshia; Legare, Robert (September 1, 2023). "Proud Boys members Dominic Pezzola and Ethan Nordean sentenced in Jan. 6 case". CBS News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ Katelyn Polantz (March 19, 2021). "Two more Proud Boys indicted for Capitol riot as prosecutors detail evidence of planning". CNN. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- Washington Post, Spencer Hsu, June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
- ^ Kunzelman, Michael; Whitehurst, Lindsay (May 4, 2023). "Ex-Proud Boys leader Tarrio guilty of Jan. 6 sedition plot". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- Seattle Times. Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (August 2, 2018). "Patriot Prayer, antifa to face off in Portland one month after brutal riot". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ Seattle Times. Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- Daily Beast. Archivedfrom the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c Jedeed, Laura (November 26, 2019). "When Right-Wingers March in Portland, It's Really All About the Clips: Screen time for Hitler?". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ Lopez, Cristina (July 17, 2018). "Member of violent men-only fraternal organization Proud Boys goes on Infowars to recruit: Proud Boys member: "But you know, if you want to get involved there is no better time than now"". Media Matters for America. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Wilson, Jason (July 14, 2018). "Who are the Proud Boys, 'western chauvinists' involved in political violence?: Street fighting erupts in Portland, with men in 'Proud Boys' uniform to the fore. They wear Fred Perry shirts and say they're a men's club who hang out and drink beer – but the SPLC lists them as a hate group". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- Law and Crime. Archivedfrom the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- Law and Crime. Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center. Archivedfrom the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Crosbie, Jack (November 28, 2018). "Proud Boys Failed to Redact Their New Dumb Bylaws and Accidentally Doxxed Their 'Elders'". Splinter News. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- Just Security. Archivedfrom the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- New York Times. Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- Wall Street Journal. Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- New York Times. Archivedfrom the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Hunter, Steve (February 3, 2021). "Proud Boys member with local ties charged for role in Jan. 6 riots: Ethan Nordean faces charges of obstructing or impeding an official proceeding". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- ^ Johnson, Gene (February 8, 2021). "Judge halts Proud Boy's release in Capitol breach case". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Gerstein, Josh; Cheney, Kyle (March 3, 2021). "Alleged Proud Boys leader wins pretrial release". POLITICO. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ Kamb, Lewis (March 3, 2021). "Judge orders release of prominent Auburn-area Proud Boy charged in Capitol siege case". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ Hsu, Spencer S. (April 19, 2021). "Judge jails two Proud Boys leaders pending trial tied to Jan. 6 Capitol riot". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Phillips, Kristine. "'You left us': Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean slams Trump in expletive-laden message". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ Washington Post. Archivedfrom the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- Seattle Times. Archivedfrom the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Nordean, Mike (June 25, 2020). "Statement from Mike Nordean". Wally's Restaurants. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- Oregon Live. Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.