FBI arrests Proud Boy who disappeared days before Jan. 6 sentencing

The FBI has arrested a member of the right-wing extremist Proud Boys who disappeared days before he was set to be sentenced for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Christopher Worrell, 52, is in custody after the FBI served a warrant at his Naples, Fla., residence Thursday, according to a spokesperson for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, which assisted in the arrest. The FBI’s “wanted” page for Worrell indicates he has been “captured.”

Worrell was found unconscious on his kitchen floor and transported to a hospital for further treatment, according to his arrest report, obtained by The Hill. He is still at the hospital receiving care, according to the FBI’s Tampa field office.

Night-vision goggles, $4,000 in cash and survivalist gear were found in Worrell’s home upon his arrest, the Tampa field office said in a statement.

Worrell was convicted earlier this year on seven counts linked to the riot, including assaulting a group of U.S. Capitol Police officers with pepper spray and lying to investigators. He had been on house arrest since November 2021.

Judge Royce Lamberth issued a bench warrant for Worrell’s arrest after he went missing less than a week before his sentencing, which was set for Aug. 18. The sentencing hearing was canceled and a monthlong manhunt ensued.

Prosecutors had sought 14 years in prison for Worrell, whom they said plotted with other Proud Boys to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election and arrived at the Capitol Jan. 6 “ready for battle.”

It’s unclear whether Worrell’s disappearance will affect his future sentence.

Dozens of rioters linked to the Proud Boys have been charged for their role in storming the Capitol more than two years ago while Congress worked to certify President Biden’s 2020 presidential election win.

Enrique Tarrio, the group’s former national chairman, and three other Proud Boy leaders were convicted of seditious conspiracy in May for plotting to stop the certification so then-President Trump could remain in power.

Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down in connection with the riot.

In all, more than 1,100 rioters have been charged across the country for their roles that day.

— Updated 12:21 p.m.