Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio has been handed a severe 22-year prison sentence following his conviction for ‘seditious conspiracy’ related to his involvement in the January 6 Capitol protests.
This sentence stands as the lengthiest prison term delivered among the January 6 defendants, despite the fact that Tarrio never entered the U.S. Capitol.
Federal prosecutors had sought a 33-year prison sentence for Tarrio. His co-defendants, including Joe Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Ethan Nordean, received sentences ranging from 15 to 18 years.
Prosecutor Conor Mulroe emphasized, “We need to make sure the consequences are abundantly clear to anyone who might be unhappy with the results of 2024, 2028, 2032 or any future election for as long as this case is remembered,” prosecutor Conor Mulroe said. “This was a calculated act of terrorism.”
Tarrio said at his sentencing hearing, “I am not a political zealot. Inflicting harm or changing the results of the election was not my goal. “Please show me mercy,” he added.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly concurred with prosecutors in categorizing Tarrio’s actions as ‘terrorism’ and decided to include terrorism sentencing enhancements.
Over 1,300 individuals have been arrested in connection with the January 6 Capitol riots, with most facing charges related to trespassing. Even two years after the protests, the FBI continues to apprehend individuals involved in the Capitol trespassing incidents, subjecting them to lengthy prison sentences.
In contrast, 99 percent of charges against left-wing rioters connected to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests were dropped. None of the individuals who attacked the White House in May 2020 and prompted former President Donald Trump to seek refuge in a nuclear-proof bunker have been incarcerated in a federal prison. None of these acts of political violence were charged as “terrorism.”
Independent journalist Julie Kelly pointed out that Tarrio was absent from the Capitol Building on January 6 as he had already been detained following an alleged incident involving the burning of a BLM banner in December 2020.
The Proud Boys, who have been fighting on the streets since 2017, became a central focus of the F.B.I.’s investigation into Jan. 6 within days of the attack. Enrique Tarrio is a former FBI informant.