Zachary Rehl

Case Summary

Former Marine Zachary Rehl is president of the Philadelphia chapter of the far-right group the Proud Boys. He stands accused of guiding 100 followers through Washington, D.C., to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Court documents say Rehl conspired with three of the group’s leaders to incite a riot and storm the Capitol -- making the charges against him among the most serious brought to date. “Hopefully the firing squads are for the traitors that are trying to steal the election from the American people,” he allegedly posted on social media in late November shortly after former President Donald Trump lost the election. In a six-count indictment -- which includes other members of the Proud Boys in addition to Rehl -- the Justice Department alleges he was part of a cabal within the group that plotted the siege for months. Rehl allegedly encouraged members online to show up at the pro-Trump rally, helped with fundraising for the trip, secured paramilitary gear and supplies for the Jan. 6 attack, and programmed radios so the group could communicate during the insurrection. He is also alleged to have been part of the original group that broke through police lines to breach the Capitol and entered that afternoon. A day after the insurrection, Rehl allegedly posted a message on social media that read: “I’m proud as f*** what we accomplished yesterday, but we need to start planning for a Biden presidency.” According to a sentencing memo filed in court by the defendant, Rehl served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2009 to 2012.

Case History

Rehl pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Jury selection began 12/19/2022. The jury found Rehl Guilty on six charges: Seditious Conspiracy; 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; Destruction of Government Property (fence). Not Guilty on one charge: Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers. No verdict on two charges: Destruction of Gov’t Property (window); Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers. Sentenced on 8/31/2023 to 15 years incarceration; 36 months supervised release; $600 special assessment; 75 hours of community service. A proclamation commutes the sentence to time served as of January 20, 2025

Sources

• Primary Documentation
  NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR
• Primary Documentation
  Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
• Supporting Reporting
  NPR video evidence pageNPR

Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.