Jeffrey Finley, 28, of Martinsburg, was sentenced to 75 days in prison and $500 in restitution, with 12 months of supervised release.
A West Virginia man has been sentenced to prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Jeffrey Finley, 28, of Martinsburg, was sentenced to 75 days in prison and $500 in restitution, with 12 months of supervised release.
Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia issued the sentence for Finley, who was instructed to surrender voluntarily.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who is handling the Jan. 6 cases, had asked for a 90-day sentence for Finley.
At the time of the Capitol attack, Finely was president of the West Virginia chapter of the Proud Boys, a far-right group.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Finley was part of a group of Proud Boys who rushed the Capitol, stepping over barricades and past U.S. Capitol police.
A group of about 70 protestors stood outside the Charles Town Library, which is the building that houses county commission meetings. Many among them used nearly an hour of public comment time during the meeting to voice displeasure over the commission’s inaction.
Citizens of Jefferson County made their voices heard at a county commission meeting Thursday night after a proposed resolution condemning white supremacy was rejected from the agenda.
A group of about 70 protestors stood outside the Charles Town Library, which is the building that houses county commission meetings. Many among them used nearly an hour of public comment time during the meeting to voice displeasure over the commission’s inaction.
Elizabeth McGowen
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Courtesy
Protestors outside the Charles Town Library on Thursday, where commission meetings are held.
This comes after a picture surfaced of Jefferson County Commissioner Tricia Jackson posing with two alleged members of the Proud Boys, an alt-right hate group that has been linked to events like the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The men in the photo were wearing clothing with the group’s logo and using the “okay” hand gesture, which was designated as a hate symbol relating to white supremacy by the Anti-Defamation League in 2019.
An initial statement made by Commissioner Jackson on her Facebook page, following the photo’s initial resurfacing in June, said it was innocent and made at the request of two men at a local restaurant several years ago.
Facebook
Jefferson County Commissioner Tricia Jackson poses for a photo with two men allegedly using the “okay” hand gesture and wearing hoodies with the Proud Boys logo.
NAACP Jefferson County President George Rutherford, who wrote the resolution, said the chapter wants to know where the commission stands.
“We want the county commission to take a position and say they are against this type of thing. If you look at that resolution, it doesn’t say one thing about getting rid of anyone or anything,” Rutherford said.
George Rutherford
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A resolution proposed by the Jefferson County NAACP to the county commission condemning white supremacy.
In response, many of the citizens attending the meeting requested that the commission speak out against white supremacy.
“A strong statement by the commission addressing the rising tide of violence against people of different races and ethnicities would put this subject to rest and assure constituents that the commission will not tolerate hate in our Jefferson County,” Eastern Panhandle local Elizabeth McGowen said in her public comment to the commission.
“We want to say that in Jefferson County, and then the Eastern Panhandle and in West Virginia, there’s no room for hate here. We reject hate. We don’t welcome it,” fellow attendee Stewart Acuff said in an over-the-phone interview.
Lyn Widmyer, a former county commissioner from 2008 to 2013, also attended the meeting alongside the protestors. She noted that because of state law, county commissioners cannot respond during public comment.
“That was another reason it should have been on the agenda, so people could hear the thoughts of the county commission,” Widmyer said. “I’m always hopeful that it will appear on the next county commission agenda so we can hear a discussion of it amongst our elected officials.”
A Jefferson County commissioner is under scrutiny after a photo of her with alleged members of a hate group circulated on Facebook.
Updated on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at 5:20 p.m.
A Jefferson County commissioner is under scrutiny after a photo of her with alleged members of a hate group circulated on Facebook.
The post includes a photo of Commissioner Tricia Jackson posing with two men wearing clothing with the Proud Boys logo and using the “okay” hand gesture, which was designated as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League in 2019.
The Proud Boys are an alt-right hate group that have been linked to events like the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The group is designated as such by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Jefferson County NAACP President George Rutherford released a statement yesterday requesting that Jackson make it known publicly whether she supports the Proud Boys and their position on white supremacy.
“The mere fact that she’s supposed to be the representative on the county commission, we just want to make sure we’ve got the right personnel and that they represent our well-being,” Rutherford said.
Jackson said in a statement posted on Facebook that she believes the photo is innocent and does not plan to resign from the commission.
Commissioner Tricia Jackson on Facebook
A statement released by Commissioner Jackson on her official Facebook page.
A release sent Wednesday evening by the Jefferson County NAACP to West Virginia Public Broadcasting announces the chapter is officially calling for the resignation of Jackson, saying her statement was not forthcoming enough and is unclear on whether she still supports the Proud Boys.
The president of a West Virginia chapter of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge that he breached the U.S. Capitol during last year's riot.
The president of a West Virginia chapter of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge that he breached the U.S. Capitol during last year’s riot.
Jeffery Finley of Martinsburg entered the plea Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds on Jan. 6, 2021.
Finley, 29, faces up to a year in prison when he is sentenced July 19.
According to a plea agreement, Finley joined an encrypted messaging group that included only Proud Boys members who were planning to be at the Capitol. A statement of facts from an FBI special agent said Finley wore a blue suit and red hat with a wired earpiece in his right ear when he entered the building.
Once inside, Finley became separated from a group of Proud Boys members and walked down a hallway. He saw members of another chapter inside an office. Finley took a photo of himself near the office door before leaving the building after two hours, according to court records.
In the days afterward, Finley deleted his social media accounts along with photos and videos of himself and other Proud Boys at the Capitol, and directed members of his chapter to do the same, the plea agreement said.
