Nicholas DeCarlo

Nick had always seen the world as one in which you get out what you put in. What attracted him to Proud Boys was the sympatico message of personal responsibility. He had limitations and yet had made something of his life.

Nick was a member of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Proud Boys from March 2017 until 2019. At first, he enjoyed the camaraderie of being with the group once a month for some drinks. However, he left the group when they started becoming more structured and political. Despite leaving the group, he still had ties to the Proud Boys because of a few friendships he developed during that time.

Nick felt frustrated with the media which had become uninterested in the truth and focused on narratives. So, he left the Proud Boys, and cofounded an organization called Murder the Media with a friend, Nicholas Ochs. The mission was to tell the truth and end the domination of Mainstream Media. His job was doing live shows, making posts, and creating prerecorded content. Shortly before the planned January 6^th rally in Washington D.C., both Nick DeCarlo and Nicholas Ochs decided they would attend as journalists. They were going to livestream the event and conduct interviews on behalf of Murder the Media.

Nickarrived in Virginia on January 5^th and met up with Nick Ochs. Theytraveledto Washington D.C. on January 6^th, 2021, and set out to do their job of documenting the rally. After President Trump’s speech, a large number of people began walking down the street. Nick and Ochs followed them, and they all ultimately ended up at the Capitol Building. The peaceful protesters became angry when police officers began spraying mace and deploying ‘flash bangs’ into the crowd. The actions of the police caused a ‘shift in energy’ and chaos ensued. The once-peaceful protesters responded negatively to the police and began protecting themselves. Nick threw a smoke bomb near the line between police and protesters. Since it was never stated that Nick brought smoke bombs to DC, the smoke bomb was probably initially thrown at him.

Nick climbed the stairs leading to the Upper West Terrace. Shortly before 2:30 pm, Nick entered the Capitol Building through the Senate Wing Doors. He moved to the “Crypt”, where he smoked a cigarette. He moved through the building and exited through the Rotunda around 3 pm. Nick used a marker to write “Murder the Media” on a door to the Capitol Building and left the area.

After an investigation by the FBI, with help from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police, Nick was arrested on January 26, 2021, in Burleson, Texas. The indictment came down on February 4^th, and his first appearance was on February 10^th. Nick was represented by private attorney Robert Feitel.

At his arraignment on February 12^th, 2021, he was charged with seven charges (including two felony charges: Conspiracy and Obstruction of an Official Proceeding (an arcane financial document charge currently being challenged at the Supreme Court) and entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ to each one.  He was released on personal recognizance on February 15^th and was ordered to stay in the Northern District of Texas unless in Washington D.C. for trial.

On February 18^th, 2022 (more than a year after his original indictment) a superseding indictment was issued. On February 25^th, Nick again entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ to all counts in the indictment. On September 9^th, Nick accepted a plea agreement and entered a plea of ‘guilty’ for the second count of the indictment (“Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting”). At his bench trial three months later, Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell sentenced Nick to 4 years of incarceration, 3 years of supervised release, a fine of $2,500, restitution in the amount of $2,000, and a special assessment of $100. 

Nick went to DC to tell the real story of January 6^th. He didn’t injure anyone in attendance. He is being kept from his disabled parents, and the disabled folks he was serving in his job in Fort Worth. His incarceration robs them of much-needed support and assistance. Please pray for Nick and his family.