Former Proud Boys boss Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after he asked a judge for mercy after he led the siege of the Capitol – the longest sentence handed down on January 6th.
Tarrio, 39, was the last leader of the neo-fascist group to be convicted of seditious conspiracy and faced a 33-year prison sentence. Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that Tarrio was “the ultimate leader of this conspiracy” but did not grant the government’s request for a verdict.
During his hearing, Tarrio dropped a bombshell and admitted that Trump lost the 2020 election. “On November 3, 2020, something I never expected happened – my candidate lost. “I felt like something had been stolen from me personally.”
The Florida native blamed the right-wing media, saying, “Every media outlet I turned to told me I was right.” He said he was “not a political zealot” and that it was not his goal to change the outcome of the election on January 6th.
The former national chairman of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was sentenced to prison
Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio (pictured with co-defendant Joseph Biggs) was found guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the January 6, 2021 riots
Tarrio’s lawyer said he took the photo above at the Capitol because he felt sorry for the Proud Boys who were arrested after the insurrection
The far-right propagandist was not in Washington on Jan. 6 — he was arrested two days earlier in a separate case — but he was convicted of helping to instigate and encourage the violence that ended the confirmation of Congress about Biden’s election victory after the election of Donald Trump had interrupted loss.
Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and accompanied by U.S. marshals, the Cuban-American from Florida took the witness stand to ask Judge Timothy Kelly for mercy. He apologized to the officers who responded during the riot and to the citizens of D.C., saying he “blamed himself.”
“Today I stand before you a changed man… I want to reorient the meaning of my life… I want to rejoin my local church and be active in helping others,” Tarrio said in court. “I hope your honor can hear the sincerity…please show me mercy…’Don’t take away my 40s…God bless this entire court.”
He claimed he truly believed the presidential election was stolen and let media coverage influence his desire to “protect” the right from Antifa protesters.
“I failed as a son, as a fiancée, as a brother, as a nephew… I was selfish,” Tarrio said.
Judge Kelly said of January 6, “On that day, our hitherto unbroken tradition of the peaceful transfer of power, which is truly one of the most precious things we have had as Americans…that hitherto unbroken tradition is now broken.” And it will take time and effort to fix the problem.”
The judge seemed particularly disturbed by Tarrio’s infamous comparison of the Jan. 6 rioters to the nation’s founding fathers.
He added: ‘[Tarrio’s] I apologized here today, but I have to say when I compare what Dominic Pezzola did to George Washington – the man who promoted the idea of a peaceful, orderly transfer of power – by giving up power to elect someone else let… this is a slander on our father’s country.’
Three other Proud Boys found guilty by a jury in Washington DC of the rare charge of sedition were sentenced to between 15 and 18 years in prison – less than prosecutors wanted.
Tarrio’s defense team argued during the sentencing hearing that the convicted sedition conspirator was a “misguided patriot” not a terrorist and was just a “keyboard ninja” and said things “he shouldn’t have said” like an independent journalist reported Gonzo news.
Judge Kelly reminded Tarrio’s legal team that the jury did not accept this defense strategy when deciding to convict him, ruling that Tarrio was at the top of the Proud Boy’s command structure during the insurrection.
Ultimately, the judge ruled that Tarrio’s crimes were aimed at coercing government conduct as his lieutenants broke down a barrier between police and rioters, thereby favoring his conviction on felony terrorism charges.
However, the judge again found that the Proud Boys’ crimes did not have the terrorist “intent” of someone blowing up a building.
Tarrio’s aunt and godmother sent letters asking for leniency, which were read by defense attorney Nayib Hassan.
‘Henry [Tarrio’s birth name] “He is not the monster he is portrayed to be,” the letter said.
Tarrio’s mother, fiancée and younger sister also spoke about Tarrio’s character as they asked for leniency, saying his incarceration had a major impact on his family.
The younger sister broke down in tears as she said: “He is the glue that holds us together… the idea that he wouldn’t be there for all the milestones is hard to bear.”
Tarrio is seen in a courtroom sketch following his arrest in March 2022 in Miami
Tarrio discussed “storming” the Capitol before January 6th, but was arrested upon entering the capital on January 5th, 2021 for a previous offense of burning the Black Lives Matter flag
The Justice Department demanded that Tarrio spend more than three decades in prison, calling him the leader of a conspiracy to use violence to destroy the cornerstone of American democracy and overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump, the Republican incumbent.
Tarrio spoke about “revolutions” and the “storming” of the Capitol complex before January 6th, but was arrested upon entering the capital on January 5th, 2021 for a previous offense of burning the Black Lives Matter flag and several Arrested on weapons charges.
The Miami native was scheduled to be sentenced last week in federal court in Washington, but his hearing was delayed because Judge Kelly became ill.
Kelly, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, sentenced Tarrio’s co-defendants to long prison sentences – although far shorter than prosecutors had requested.
Self-described Proud Boys organizer Joe Biggs sobbed as he was sentenced Thursday to 17 years in prison for his role in the insurrection after pleading for leniency to care for his daughter and ailing mother.
Judge Kelly disagreed, saying Americans are the envy of the world and U.S. elections must be respected, telling Biggs: “You played a role in stirring up the crowd.”
“If you don’t like how an election is being conducted, you can speak up, call, write, or meet with election officials.” You can protest peacefully. To file a lawsuit.’
The judge ruled that Biggs was entitled to an enhanced sentence for terrorism because he tore down a fence that stood between police and rioters.
Prosecutors on Tuesday urged Kelly to punish Tarrio more harshly than his co-defendants, arguing that he was the ringleader of the operation and, as someone with a criminal record, a less sympathetic figure than Biggs, who is a veteran.
“We must ensure that the consequences are clear to anyone who might be dissatisfied with future elections, as long as this case is remembered… this was a calculated act of terrorism,” prosecutors said in handing down the verdict.
Former Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs sobbed as he was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021
Proud Boys member Ethan Nordean goes to the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, to support President Donald Trump
Members of the Proud Boys, including Zachary Rehl (left), Ethan Nordean (center) and Joseph Biggs, go to the U.S. Capitol in Washington to support President Donald Trump
Ethan Nordean, who prosecutors said was the local Proud Boys leader on Jan. 6, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, setting the record for the longest sentence in the attack.
Prosecutors had sought 27 years in prison for Nordean, who was a Seattle-area chapter president of the Proud Boys.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy in a separate case, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in May. Prosecutors, who had sought a 25-year sentence for Rhodes, are appealing his sentence and the sentences of other members of his anti-government militia group.
“Tarrio has repeatedly and publicly expressed that he has no regrets about what he brought about on January 6,” prosecutors wrote in court documents.
Lawyers for the Proud Boys deny there was any plan to attack the Capitol or stop the president’s transfer of power.
“There is no evidence that Tarrio directed any participants to storm the U.S. Capitol before or during the event,” his lawyers wrote in court papers.
“Participating in a plan for the Proud Boys protest on January 6th is not the same as instructing others on the ground to storm the Capitol by any means necessary.”
Police arrested Tarrio in Washington on January 4, 2021, on charges that he defaced a Black Lives Matter banner during an earlier rally in the nation’s capital. However, police officials later said he was arrested in part because of concerns about the possibility of unrest during certification. He complied with a judge’s order to leave the city after his arrest.
On January 6, dozens of Proud Boys leaders, members and associates were among the first rioters to breach the Capitol. The mob attack overwhelmed police, forced lawmakers to flee the House and Senate and disrupted the joint session of Congress certifying Biden’s victory.
The backbone of the government’s lawsuit was hundreds of messages exchanged by Proud Boys in the days leading up to January 6th.
As the Proud Boys swarmed the Capitol, Tarrio cheered them on from afar, writing on social media: “Do what needs to be done.” Later that day, someone in an encrypted Proud Boys group chat asked what they should do next .
Tarrio replied, “Do it again.”
Tarrio wrote on social media, “Do what needs to be done” as they stormed the Capitol, and when asked what they should do next, he replied, “Do it again.”
Prosecutors argued that the Proud Boys were at the forefront of the mob on Capitol grounds and were there when the first barriers were breached
“Make no mistake,” Tarrio wrote in another message. “We did this.”
Tarrio was leading the neo-fascist group known for street fights with left-wing activists when Trump infamously told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” during his first debate with Joe Biden.
During the month-long trial, prosecutors argued that the Proud Boys viewed themselves as foot soldiers fighting for Trump while the Republican spread lies that Democrats stole the election from him.
Lawyers argued that the group’s members were willing to go to war to keep their preferred leader in power.
Defense lawyers denied there was a conspiracy to attack the Capitol or prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory.
The Justice Department’s investigation is the largest in American history, and there has not been a seditious conspiracy case in more than a decade.
The unrest followed months of false claims by Trump and his allies that the election was rigged against him.
A House select committee investigated the riots and, in its final report, accused Trump of a criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The committee estimated that from the election through Jan. 6, the president and his aides made hundreds of attempts to pressure officials to overturn the results.
Trump supporters surround a noose and gallows near the Capitol on January 6
Targets included states he lost but with Republican-led legislatures, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.
Trump has since been impeached for that role in the riots. A grand jury indictment accused him of spreading “lies” and “sham investigations” while fomenting an “angry” mob on Jan. 6.
Special Counsel Jack Smith said in a televised public statement after the indictment was released that the attack on the Capitol was “fueled by lies” from Trump “designed to impede the basic function of the United States government – the process of… “Gathering and Counting the Nation” and certifying the results of the presidential election.’ He promised that his office would conduct a “swift” process.
Trump is charged with four counts, including conspiring to defraud the U.S. government and obstructing the electoral count, for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. The 45-page indictment said he was “determined to stay in power” even though he “lost.”
He and his six co-conspirators “knowingly used false claims of voter fraud” to attempt to “undermine the legitimate election results and alter votes” to overthrow Joe Biden, the indictment says.
He has pleaded not guilty.