Oregon Proud Boy sentenced to 10 years in prison for assault charges

Proud Boy Alan Swinney has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of 11 criminal charges.

He was arrested by Portland police on Sept. 30, 2020, weeks after an indictment was issued. Swinney was denied his motion for release after his bail was set at $534,000. He plead not guilty to all 12 charges against him.

Following a six-day trial in October, a jury Multnomah County jury found Swinney guilty of second-degree assault; fourth-degree assault; attempted second-degree assault; attempted fourth-degree assault; two counts of second-degree unlawful use of mace; unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm; two counts of unlawful use of a weapon (a paintball gun); and pointing a firearm at another.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Heidi Moawad said Swinney had shown no remorse during his trial and up to his sentencing for his actions during two demonstrations in August 2020.

Moawad concurred with Swinney’s lawyer “that there were bad actors on both sides on both days,” however, she added: “The fact is that you are not just reacting on those dates. You were also provoking and you chose then to become one of those bad actors as well.”

Prosecutor Nathan Vasquez sought a slightly higher sentence of 10 years and one month, calling Swinney a “lightning rod” for political violence and an “extreme danger” to the community.

Vasquez also submitted a letter Swinney wrote from the county’s Inverness Jail to former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Swinney disparaged George Floyd.

At the sentencing, Vasquez called Swinney a “white nationalist vigilante cowboy,” and he said Swinney had traveled to Oregon for the specific purpose of engaging in political violence.