Ex-Proud Boys organiser gets 17 years in prison over US Capitol riot

Federal prosecutors had recommended a 33-year prison sentence for Biggs, who helped lead dozens of Proud Boys members and associates in marching to the US Capitol on January 6 2021.

Proud Boys members Joseph Biggs, left, and Ethan Nordean, right with megaphone, walk toward the US Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. Picture: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File

A former organiser of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for spearheading an attack on the US Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election.

The sentence for Joseph Biggs is the second longest among hundreds of Capitol riot cases so far, after the 18-year prison sentence for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.