Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Spearheading January 6 Capitol Riot
Sept. 5 2023, Published 6:26 p.m. ET
Proud Boys extremist group leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years behind bars for his involvement in the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, RadarOnline.com has learned.
With Tuesday's ruling, Tarrio received the longest sentence so far for January 6 offenders.
Tarrio's sentencing was postponed last week after District Judge Timothy Kelly fell ill. While the prosecution asked for 33 years behind bars, Judge Kelly ordered that the former Proud Boys chairman would spend the next 22 years in custody.
While Tarrio was arrested in Washington D.C. prior to the insurrection at the Capitol, he and three other former Proud Boys members were found guilty of seditious conspiracy for their role in attempting to stop the certification of 2020 election results.
Judge Kelly said that he didn't believe Tarrio was "remorseful" for the charges he was convicted of.
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"The jury didn’t convict anyone for engaging in politics, they convicted Mr. Tarrio and others of engaging in seditious conspiracy," Kelly said at sentencing, according to CNN.
"I don’t have any indication that he is remorseful for the actual things he is convicted of, which is seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct the counting of electoral votes."
Despite Kelly's strong words, Tarrio offered an apology to the court before his sentencing.
While dressed in a prison orange jumpsuit, Tarrio apologized for the "pain and suffering" that lawmakers, staff, and law enforcement endured that day while vowing to have "nothing to do with politics, groups, activism or rallies."
"I have always tried to hold myself to a higher standard and I failed," the former Proud Boys leader told the court. "I held myself morally above others, and this trial has shown me how wrong I was."
Tarrio added that he had "spent the last year and a half trying to figure out how I ended up at this podium."
"On November 3, 2020, something that I never expected happened – my candidate lost," Tarrio continued. "I felt like something was personally stolen from me. Every media channel that I turned to told me I was justified."
Despite the widespread violence and chaos that was captured on live television, Tarrio insisted that he did not stand for the destruction witnessed at the Capitol.
"I am not a political zealot. Inflicting harm or changing the outcome of the election was not my goal," Tarrio said.
Along with Tarrio, ex-Proud Boys lieutenants Ethan Nordean and Joseph Bigg were sentenced to 18 years and 17 years behind bars, respectively.