The Hawaii man arrested in connection with last week's armed riot at the U.S. Capitol made his first appearance in federal court today and was released on bail.
Nicholas Ochs (pronounced “Oaks”), founder of the Oahu chapter of the Proud Boys, was arrested at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Thursday on charges of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds, in this case the Capitol building.
The Proud Boys are a far right political organization that have been labeled an extremist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Social media posts and a CNN interview placed Ochs at the U.S. Capitol during last week’s armed riot, which NPR is describing as a Pro-Trump insurrection.
Based on that evidence presented by authorities, a federal judge in Washington DC approved a warrant for Ochs’ arrest the day after the storming of the Capitol.
On Monday, Ochs made his first appearance in federal district court in Honolulu. He faces a federal misdemeanor charge of unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol.
Ochs spent the weekend in the Federal Detention Center on Oahu. The judge in the case approved his release on a $5,000 bond at the Monday hearing.
The case has been transferred to a federal court in Washington, D.C.
Ochs is restricted to the island of Oahu and travel to the District of Columbia, solely for the purpose of court proceedings. Those proceedings are expected to be conducted remotely over video conference due to COVID-19 concerns.
The U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case said he plans to seek a court order barring Ochs from participating in political activity in Washington, D.C. and temporarily banning him from the grounds of the Capitol building.
Ochs unsuccessfully ran for to represent Waikiki in the State House of Representatives in 2020. He was defeated by Democrat Adrian Tam.
