Prosecutors sought to lock up former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio for 33 years in prison after being found guilty of numerous felony counts, including seditious conspiracy, for his role in planning the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years as the judge handed down the longest sentence in any U.S. Capitol riot case. This is four years longer than OathKeepers founder Stewart Rhodes received.
Via CNN:
Before he was sentenced, Tarrio apologized for the "pain and suffering" that law enforcement, legislators, and others suffered on January 6 and vowed 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," he said. "I held myself morally above others, and this trial has shown me how wrong I was."
Standing before the judge in an orange jumpsuit, Tarrio said he "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. I felt like something was personally stolen from me. Every media channel that I turned to told me I was justified."
But, Tarrio said, he was against the violence that erupted at the Capitol: "I am not a political zealot. Inflicting harm or changing the outcome of the election was not my goal."
Kelly had consistently gone far below previous Justice Department sentencing requests for Proud Boys members convicted in this case.
Kelly sentenced Ethan Nordean and Joseph Biggs, two of the far-right organization's top lieutenants, to 18- and 17-year prison sentences, respectively. Zachary Rehl, a local Proud Boys chapter leader, was sentenced to 15 years behind bars, while Dominic Pezzola, a low-level member and the only defendant acquitted of the seditious conspiracy charge, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutor Conor Mulroe tore into Tarrio, saying that the Proud Boys leader had a "toxic ability to control others" and was the "leader of this conspiracy" that "targeted our entire system of government."
District Judge Timothy Kelly wasn't buying Tarrio's act and sent him off to begin his 22 years in prison. Tarrio is only 39 years old. I sure hope the ringleader, Donald J. Trump, gets a heftier sentence.
This is food for thought:
Plus, he won't be able to vote in many states since he's a convicted felon.
