Ethan Nordean

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.

Ethan Nordean
Nordean on January 6, 2021
Born1990 or 1991 (age 32–33)[1]
NationalityAmerican
Other namesRufio Panman
OrganizationProud Boys
Known forProud Boys recruiter and leader
Criminal chargesDisorderly conduct

Obstructing an official proceeding

Seditious conspiracy
Criminal penalty18 years in prison[2]
Criminal statusSentenced
Children1

He played a prominent role in the January 6, 2021, attack against the U.S. Capitol, and was arrested four weeks later on federal criminal charges. In March 2021, a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia indicted Nordean and three other Proud Boys members for conspiracy.[3] He was subsequently indicted on seditious conspiracy charges in June 2022, along with four other Proud Boy leaders, for his role in the attack.[4] In May 2023, Nordean was found guilty of seditious conspiracy and multiple other felonies; three other members of the Proud Boys were also convicted at trial.[5] On September 1, 2023, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison.[2]

Activism

In mid-2017, Nordean started attending rallies in Seattle and Portland, Oregon organized by the far right Patriot Prayer group.[6] According to Dave Neiwert, a journalist and author who covers far right political groups, "He's particularly noteworthy for the extraordinary levels of thuggish violence he brings to these events". On June 30, 2018, Nordean and other members of the Proud Boys participated in a demonstration in Portland organized by Joey Gibson, founder of Patriot Prayer. Police declared the event a riot after violent street fighting broke out amid tensions between anti-fascist activists and Patriot Prayer supporters.[7] Video showed Nordean shoving one counter protester to the ground before another approached with a metal baton.[8] Nordean was wearing shin guards on his forearms and deflected the baton, then punched the man in the face, knocking him to the ground unconscious.[8][7] According to a police report, the counter-protester was hospitalized with a concussion.[8][7]

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 The Alex Jones Show,[12] with the video playing constantly in the background.[11] During his interview with Jones, Nordean said "Like Gavin McInnes says, violence isn't great, but justified violence is amazing."[13] Describing left-wing counter-protesters, Nordean told Jones and his audience that "these are no longer people who are necessarily Americans, per se, but they're kind of anti-American" and "you just have to eliminate them as a threat".[14]

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 leads a Proud Boys contingent past the Library of Congress near the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021

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
Main article: Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election

On December 11, 2020, Nordean was on the stage during a demonstration before the December 12 Stop The Steal rally in Washington, DC, alongside Roger Stone and fellow Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio. Infowars personality Owen Shroyer also spoke to the crowd, claiming that the Supreme Court had stabbed people in the back.[18]

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 runup to the events at the Capitol on January 6, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio urged the Proud Boys to set aside their usual black and yellow garb, and attempt to blend in with the crowd. Biggs and Nordean echoed his call on social media.[19]

Participation in the 2021 Capitol attack
Main articles: Planning of the January 6 United States Capitol attack § Proud Boys, and Proud Boys § Participation in the 2021 Capitol attack
January 6 United
States Capitol attack
A gallows (top) and a crowd of attackers amid a cloud of tear gas (bottom) outside the Capitol on January 6, 2021
Timeline • Planning
Background
2020 presidential election
and other causes
Related groups and persons
Participants
Notable people
Organizations
Law enforcement response
Aftermath
Biden inauguration
Investigations and charges
Corporate actions
Reactions
Impeachment
Joe Biggs and Nordean on Jan. 6

A video documentary produced by the Wall Street Journal showed that, on January 6, Nordean and fellow Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs from Florida commanded a mob of about 100 Proud Boys members and supporters who assembled east of the United States Capitol Building. A video livestreamer who is a member of the Proud Boys described Biggs and Nordean as "Two men on a mission, with about 500 behind them ready to kick some butt for the benefit of this country".[9]

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 Des Moines and Buckley in Washington state, and Ethan formerly worked in the family business. A dedicated bodybuilder, he also operated a now-defunct business in 2017 called Bangarang Elite Supplements that sold protein powder.[9]

Nordean's alias derives from a character in the 1991 Peter Pan movie Hook.[29]

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
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Proud Boys leader Tarrio, 4 top lieutenants charged with seditious conspiracy in widening Jan 6 case, Washington Post, Spencer Hsu, June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  5. 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.
  6. Kamb, Lewis; Fields, Asia; Green, Sara Jean (February 3, 2021). "Auburn-area man, a prominent Proud Boy, charged in Capitol insurrection". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  7. 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.
  8. Kirkpatrick, David D.; Feuer, Alan (March 14, 2021). "Police Shrugged Off the Proud Boys, Until They Attacked the Capitol". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  9. Kamb, Lewis; Fields, Asia; Green, Sara Jean (February 3, 2021). "Auburn-area man, a prominent Proud Boy, charged in Capitol insurrection". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  10. Sommer, Will (July 19, 2018). "Proud Boys, the Infamous Right-Wing Brawlers, Head to the Heart of Antifa Country". Daily Beast. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. Keller, Aaron (February 6, 2021). "Proud Boys Spent Weeks Planning the U.S. Capitol Siege; Leader Ethan Nordean Poses a 'Serious Risk of Flight': Prosecutors". Law and Crime. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  15. Keller, Aaron (February 4, 2021). "FBI Cited InfoWars While Charging Proud Boys Leader in Capitol Siege. Here's What 'Rufio Panman' Told Alex Jones". Law and Crime. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  16. Staff (August 2, 2018). "Facebook's fight club: how the Proud Boys use the social media platform to vet their fighters". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  17. 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.
  18. Goodman, Ryan; Hendrix, Justin (February 6, 2021). "EXCLUSIVE: New Video of Roger Stone with Proud Boys Leaders Who May Have Planned for Capitol Attack". Just Security. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  19. Feuer, Alan (February 5, 2021). "Did the Proud Boys Help Coordinate the Capitol Riot? Yes, U.S. Suggests: In court papers, prosecutors have painted a picture that indicates planning among members of the extremist group on Jan. 6". New York Times. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  20. Staff (January 26, 2021). "Video Investigation: Proud Boys Were Key Instigators in Capitol Riot: The Proud Boys, a far-right group, have tried to downplay their role in the Capitol riot. A WSJ investigation shows that at many of the day's key moments, Proud Boys were at the forefront". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  21. Benner, Katie; Feuer, Alan (February 3, 2021). "Justice Department Unveils Further Charges in Capitol Riot: Two men were charged with conspiracy and another with leading a mob of 100 people who stormed the building on Jan. 6". New York Times. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
  26. 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.
  27. 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.
  28. Jackman, Tom (September 1, 2023). "Proud Boys leader gets 18 years, matching longest Jan. 6 punishment to date. Ethan Nordean led a group to the Capitol. Dominic Pezzola, who smashed a Capitol window, received a 10-year term". Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  29. Kamb, Lewis (February 8, 2021). "On the verge of release, an Auburn-area Proud Boy charged in Capitol siege instead ordered transported to D.C." Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  30. Nordean, Mike (June 25, 2020). "Statement from Mike Nordean". Wally's Restaurants. Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  31. Associated Press (February 4, 2021). "Proud Boys member who brawled at Portland protests arrested on Capitol riot charges". Oregon Live. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
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