“It was all the chatter. All the chats ... and the fact they wanted to do so much in secret.”

That’s what a juror said following Thursday’s conviction of four members of the Proud Boys far-right extremist group for plotting to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The juror told Vice News that it was the Proud Boys’ own texts and messages that convinced the jury the men had engaged in seditious conspiracy – an effort to “overthrow, put down, or destroy by force” the U.S. government.

The verdict is important for two reasons. First, it’s a symbol of the grinding Justice Department effort to hold accountable those responsible for Jan. 6. As of April, law enforcement had arrested 1,020 people for participating in the Capitol assault. 

Most of those brought to trial have faced only minor charges. But more than 400 have faced prosecution for higher-level crimes, and at least 237 have been sentenced to prison.

Second, Thursday’s conviction hints at prosecutions that may come. Followers of two extremist groups have now been convicted of seditious conspiracy: Oath Keepers in March, and yesterday, Proud Boys. It is possible the Justice Department is becoming increasingly confident in its ability to win complex Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy cases.

The question is whether special counsel Jack Smith will indict former President Donald Trump and other political organizers of the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally for their roles prior to the riot.

After all, in closing arguments at the Proud Boy trial, defense lawyer Nayib Hassan said the attack wasn’t the Proud Boys’ fault. 

“It was Donald Trump’s words. It was his motivation. It was his anger that caused what occurred on January 6th,” he said.