Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, was sentenced this Tuesday (5) to 22 years in prison for his role in organizing the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Tarrio’s sentence is the longest among the more than 1,100 processes related to the invasion so far.
His sentence surpasses the 18-year sentences received by Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, and Ethan Nordean, another former Proud Boys frontman, who held the record for the longest sentences in connection with the case.
Tarrio, who was not present in Washington during the attack, was considered by prosecutors to be the “remote organizer and leader of the Proud Boys group”, which played a key role in the invasion of the US House of Representatives.
Prosecutors argued that Tarrio inspired his followers with his “charisma and propaganda”, urging them to participate in the attack that day.
US District Court Judge Timothy Kelly agreed with prosecutors in ruling the Proud Boys’ crimes as terrorism. Tarrio’s sentence was less than the 33 years requested by the prosecution.
In an appeal before receiving his sentence, Tarrio asked the court for “lenience” and expressed remorse for his role in the attack. He described the invasion as a “national shame” and apologized “to the police who defended the Capitol” and to “the parliamentarians who had to flee in fear”. Tarrio also stated that he was ending his political career and denied having been a “political fanatic “.
Prosecutors stressed the importance of ensuring that the fallout from the Capitol attack is clear to anyone “dissatisfied with future election results.” Conor Mulroe, the prosecutor in charge of the case, described the attack as a “calculated act of terrorism”.
Last week, Dominic Pezzola, another member of the Proud Boys, was also sentenced to prison for his involvement in the January 6 attacks. He was found guilty of breaking a window in the Capitol and received ten years in prison, also one of the longest for those involved in the attack.
In late August, Joseph Biggs, who was also part of the Proud Boys leadership, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for conspiring to try to reverse the result of the 2020 US presidential election.
#Leader #Proud #Boys #receives #greater #sentence #case #invasion #Capitol