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By Doha Madani
Two of 10 members of the far-right group Proud Boys who were arrested last year after a violent fight with Antifa supporters in New York City have pleaded guilty to charges of disorderly conduct.
Jake Freijo and Eryk Kaczynski will be sentenced to five days of community service, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said Friday.
They were involved in an Oct. 12 melee between Proud Boys members and masked protesters after a speech by Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes at the Metropolitan Republican Club on the Upper East Side.
Prosecutors have made varying sentencing recommendations for the remaining eight men, most of whom are scheduled to appear in court next month.
The others arrested were John Kinsman, 39, Geoffrey Young, 38, Douglas Lennan, 40, Maxwell Hare, 26, Irvin Antillon, 41, David Jacob, David Kuriakose and Kyle Borello,
Kinsman and Hare, who were each charged with attempted assault in the second degree and riot in the second degree, could face up to a year in jail on a plea.
The recommendation for Young was six months in jail on a plea to riot in the second degree and attempted assault in the third degree charges.
Kuriakose may face a split sentence of 30 days in jail and probation with a plea for riot in the second degree and attempted assault in the third degree charges.
Authorities are asking that Borello and Lennan, each charged with riot in the second degree and attempted assault in the third degree, receive three years of probation on a plea.
New York police released surveillance video after the fight, asking for information on the men involved.
Video showed one of the anti-fascist protesters throwing a bottle at the Proud Boys, who then retaliated with punches.
Some men fell to the ground and were kicked. The video also showed one person getting dragged across the pavement.
“At some point we have six individuals wearings masks … we believe yelling at the group going south on Park Avenue and some of the [Proud Boy] members from the Park Avenue side begin to go on to 82nd Street and interact” with protesters, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said at the time.
McInnes has described the Proud Boys, which began in 2016, as a “fraternal organization” for young “Western chauvinist” men. The Southern Poverty Law Center designates it as a hate group.