Two Florida “Proud Boys” Plead Guilty to Felony Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

WASHINGTON - Two men from Florida and members of the Proud Boys organization have pleaded guilty to felony charges stemming from their conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Tom Vournas, 63, of Bradenton, Florida, pleaded guilty today to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon and inflicting bodily injury. Leonard Lobianco, 53, of North Port, Florida, pleaded guilty on Sept. 23, 2024, to a single felony charge of civil disorder.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth will sentence Vournas on Jan. 17, 2025, and Lobianco on Jan. 28, 2025.

According to court documents, Vournas and Lobianco, members of a local chapter of the Proud Boys organization based in southwest Florida known as "Zone 5", traveled from Florida to Washington, D.C., with other members of the local chapter to participate in the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

On the morning of January 6th, Vournas and Lobianco met a group of approximately one hundred Proud Boys members near the Washington Monument at about 10:00 a.m. Shortly after, the leaders of the large group of Proud Boys marched the group away from the rally that was taking place near the Washington Monument. One of the leaders of the march announced to the group that they were going to march to the Capitol. As the group marched toward the Capitol, the leaders of the march addressed the group, which included Vournas and Lobianco, through a megaphone-telling them that the police and

government had failed them. Vournas and Lobianco and members of Zone 5 had broken away and would rejoin the larger group of Proud Boys minutes after the breach at Peace Circle.

The Proud Boys arrived at the Peace Circle, at the edge of the restricted portion of Capitol grounds, at approximately 12:50 p.m. Upon arriving at the Peace Circle, leaders of the Proud Boys led the crowd in chants that included "USA!" "Where's Antifa", and "Whose Capitol? Our Capitol!" At 12:53 p.m., approximately one minute after the "Whose Capitol? Our Capitol!" chant, the crowd surged towards a police barricade. Members of this crowd, including the Proud Boys, violently trampled the metal barriers, moved the barriers aside, and surged past officers to advance toward the Capitol.

As the Proud Boys breached Peace Circle, members of Zone 5 marched towards the Capitol. At approximately 12:57 p.m., within minutes of the police line at Peace Circle, Vournas, Lobianco, and several other rioters and members of the Proud Boys moved together onto the restricted grounds of the Capitol, past the downed barricades and toward northwest stairs of the West Terrace of the Capitol. For the next hour, police struggled to contain the mob, while certain members of the Proud Boys, assaulted and engaged with police.

Court documents say that Vournas sprayed pepper gel, a dangerous weapon, twice toward a line of police officers, hitting a United States Capitol Police (USCP) officer in the face and causing bodily injury. About the same time, Lobianco, two to three rows deep in the crowd, pushed other rioters in front of him into the police line. The police line collapsed and the mob, including Vournas and Lobianco, surged up the Northwest Stairs towards the Senate Wing Door.

Within 20 minutes, rioters, including Vournas and Lobianco, joined the first group of rioters to enter the Capitol-while Congress was still in session. Specifically, at approximately 2:14 p.m., Vournas and Lobianco entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door. Vournas carried the pepper gel that he had used to assault the USCP officer. Once inside, Vournas proceeded deeper into the Capitol and encountered a line of police officers. Inside the Crypt, Vournas and Lobianco took pictures together before leaving through the Senate Wing Door at approximately 2:25 p.m.

The FBI arrested the two men on Jan. 4, 2024, in Florida.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.

This case is being investigated by the FBI's Tampa and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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