Former Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio was sentenced Tuesday to 22 years in prison for taking a leading role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots — the harshest sentence handed down in the series of cases.
Tarrio, 39, the former national chairman of a far-right extremist group, was convicted in May by a Washington, DC jury of seditious conspiracy for working with others to try to block a transition of power to keep Republican President Donald Trump in office after he lost the 2020 election.
Judge Timothy Kelly handed down the heavy prison sentence at a several-hour sentencing hearing on Tuesday, finding that a heavy sentence was necessary to deter others from attempting similar crimes.
“It can’t happen again,” Kelly said, before repeating, “It can’t happen again.”
When Tarrio’s fate was determined by the judge, the former Proud Boy momentarily hung his head in shame.
Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison after he was convicted of seditious conspiracy for the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot. Amy Harris/Shutterstock
Earlier in the hearing, Tarrio — wearing an orange prison outfit — pleaded for leniency and promised he was done with politics, calling the events of January 6 a “national shame”.
A visibly remorseful Tarrio — whose voice broke as he spoke — apologized to the officers who defended the Capitol, to the terrified lawmakers who fled the building and to his family.
“I am not a politician,” said Tarrio. “Making harm or changing the outcome of the election is not my goal.”
“Please show me mercy,” he said, adding, “I’m asking you not to take my 40s from me.”
DC federal prosecutor Conor Mulroe, earlier, said the 33-year term was needed to prevent others from attempting another rebellion in the future.
Prosecutors argued that Tarrio coordinated attacks by members of the right-wing group.REUTERS
“We need to make sure the consequences are clear to anyone who might be unhappy with the outcome of 2024, 2028, 2032 or any future election as long as this case is remembered,” Mulroe said. “This was a calculated act of violence.”
A lawyer for Tarrio said they would appeal the sentence.
“Although we respect the court’s sentence today, we respectfully disagree that this is an appropriate sentence,” said lawyer Nayib Hassan. “An appeal will be filed in this case on the merits of the case and the sentence imposed.”
The judge said Tarrio was driven by a “revolutionary spirit” that ended with “200 men, preparing for battle, besieging the Capitol.”
Kelly also expressed doubts about Tarrio’s remorse during the sentencing hearing, noting that he had never shown public remorse for what he had done before.
Kelly sided with prosecutors that Tarrio’s crimes should be handled like “terrorism” — which raises federally recommended sentencing guidelines. But in the end, the judge still ordered a lower sentence than what the prosecutor wanted.
“Today, the leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, learned that the penalty for conspiring to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power is 22 years in federal prison,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
Tarrio’s lawyer argued for leniency, claiming there was no conspiracy but rather that the gang members staged a surprise attack in a fight angry over the election results.REUTERS
Although Tarrio, from Miami, was not in DC on the day of the uprising — after he was arrested two days earlier and ordered to stay outside the city — prosecutors said he still organized and directed the attack.
Meanwhile, Tarrios’ lawyer at the trial tried to dismiss the argument that there was a coordinated effort, describing the neo-fascist organization as a disorganized drinking club whose members staged impromptu rebellions in anger over the election results.
On Friday, a co-defendant and another Proud Boys leader, Ethan Nordean, 32, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on a seditious conspiracy conviction — still less than the 27 years prosecutors had sought.
“If we don’t have a peaceful transition of power in this country, we have nothing,” Kelly said at the sentencing.
Trump earlier this month was accused of trying to overturn the election results.AP
Nordean’s sentence is tied with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes’ prison sentence for the longest prison sentence in the Capitol Riot case.
Earlier on Friday, Dominic Pezzola, 45, was sentenced to a lesser term of 10 years in prison with Kelly, noting that Pezzola had been acquitted of conspiracy to seditious charges but was still convicted of serious crimes including assaulting police and obstructing official proceedings.
“You personally played an important role in the events of the day,” Kelly said at the time. “It’s a national disgrace, what happened.”
More than 1,100 people were charged with involvement in the Capitol attack – with at least 630 pleading guilty and another 110 convicted at trial.
Five people were killed in the clash, including a police officer and more than 140 police were injured. The Capitol suffered millions of dollars worth of damage.
Trump, 77, faces federal charges for allegedly trying to stay in power after losing the election. The embattled former president faces four other criminal cases – including the Manhattan “hush money” case, the Florida documents case and the Georgia election meddling case.
Trump has maintained his innocence on all charges.
Tarrio’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
