Jeremy Bertino (born 1979 or 1980) is an American former member of the

Proud Boys The Proud Boys is an American far-right politics, far-right, Neo-fascism, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence and militancy: ...

who testified against

Enrique Tarrio Henry "Enrique" Tarrio ( ; ; born ) is an American convicted seditionist and far-right activist. From 2018 to 2021, he was the chairman of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist organization that promotes and engages in political violence ...

during his trial for

seditious conspiracy Seditious conspiracy is a crime in various jurisdictions of Conspiracy (criminal), conspiring against the authority or legitimacy of the state. As a form of sedition, it has been described as a serious but lesser counterpart to treason, targeting ...

for his role in the

2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...

. Bertino was the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to the same charge. On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump commuted his sentence to time served.

Early life

Bertino was born . In 2004, he was found guilty of

reckless endangerment Endangerment is a type of crime involving conduct that is wrongful and reckless or wanton, and likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm to another person. There are several kinds of endangerment, each of which is a criminal act that can b ...

and briefly was jailed in

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

and sentenced to five years of probation. He later lived in

Belmont, North Carolina Belmont is a small Suburb, suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about east of Gastonia, North Carolina, Gastonia. The population was 10,076 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Once known as Garibaldi ...

Involvement in Proud Boys

Bertino joined the Proud Boys in 2018 and was briefly (2.5 months) the Vice President of a local

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

chapter. As a Proud Boys member, he did a media interview in 2021. Bertino did not attend the January 6, 2021, riot due to a stabbing injury that he received on December 12, 2020, at a rally in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, supporting

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

; on that day, Bertino, along with other Proud Boys and far-right activists, attacked the

Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church ("Metropolitan AME Church") is a historic church located at 1518 M Street, N.W., in downtown Washington, D.C. It affiliates with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. History The congregation ...

. He used digital communications to support the insurrectionists on January 6. At his criminal trial after the riot, Bertino pleaded guilty to

and later agreed to be a witness against other members of the Proud Boys. He also pleaded guilty to unlawfully being a felon in possession of a firearm. after two AR-15 style rifles, two pistols, a shotgun, and a rifle were confiscated from his home by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

. At the time of his plea, he was the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy. While testifying against Proud Boys members, including group leader

, Bertino stated that efforts to overthrow the U.S. government on January 6 failed due to the intervention of

Capitol Police Capitol police in the United States are agencies charged with the provision of security police services for various state agencies, but especially state legislatures. Capitol police may function as part of the state police or may be an independe ...

. In May 2023, Bertino spoke of his regret about wearing a Right Wing Death Squad patch, the same patch worn by the perpetrator of the 2023 Allen, Texas outlet mall shooting who killed eight people. In June 2023, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Neal E. Kravitz imposed civil penalties of over $1 million on Bertino and three others,

Joe Biggs Joseph Randall Biggs (born ) is an American veteran, media personality, organizer of the Proud Boys, and convicted seditionist who participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. After serving in the United States Army and sufferin ...

and

John Turano John Turano, also known as Based Spartan, has been described as an "icon of the alt-right 'Patriot' movement, who was known for brawling with Antifa protesters in the early days of the Trump administration in 2017. Turano was among a group of fa ...

in connection with the 2020 attack on the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. Kravitz said that the four men had engaged in "hateful and overtly racist conduct."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertino, Jeremy Living people American people convicted of seditious conspiracy People from Belmont, North Carolina Convicted participants in the January 6 United States Capitol attack Year of birth missing (living people) Members of the Proud Boys Commutations granted by Donald Trump

Early life

Involvement in Proud Boys

See also

References