Enrique Tarrio, Ex-Chairman of the Proud Boys, Awaits Sentencing for Role in January 6 Capitol Assault

Enrique Tarrio, the former national chairman of the Proud Boys, is set to be sentenced this Tuesday for conspiring to attack the United States Capitol with the intent to obstruct the peaceful transition of presidential power following the 2020 election defeat of Donald Trump.

Tarrio will be the last high-ranking member of the Proud Boys to be sentenced for seditious conspiracy related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Last week, three other members of the organization were handed prison sentences ranging from 15 to 18 years by a Washington jury, convicted on the seldom-invoked charge of sedition.

The U.S. Justice Department is advocating for Tarrio, who is 39 years old, to be incarcerated for more than 30 years. Prosecutors characterize him as the mastermind of a violent scheme aimed at undermining the very foundation of American democracy and invalidating Joe Biden’s electoral victory over the then-incumbent, Donald Trump.

Interestingly, Tarrio was not present in Washington, D.C., on the day of the assault; he had been apprehended two days prior on unrelated charges. Nonetheless, the prosecution contends that he played a pivotal role in inciting and facilitating the violence that not only shocked the global community but also halted the Congressional ratification of Biden’s electoral win.

Prosecutors have stated in court documents that Tarrio has persistently and publicly expressed no remorse for his actions leading up to the events of January 6.

Initially scheduled for sentencing last week, Tarrio’s hearing was postponed due to the illness of U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee. Judge Kelly had previously meted out considerable prison sentences to Tarrio’s co-defendants, although less severe than what the prosecutors had recommended.

Ethan Nordean, described by prosecutors as the on-site leader of the Proud Boys during the January 6 attack, received an 18-year sentence, equaling the record for the harshest penalty meted out in relation to the assault. The prosecution had initially sought a 27-year sentence for Nordean, who formerly presided over a Proud Boys chapter in the Seattle area.

In a separate but related case, Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in May after being found guilty of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors, who had asked for a 25-year sentence for Rhodes, are appealing his and other related sentences.

Legal representatives for the Proud Boys maintain there is no substantiated evidence that there was a planned assault on the U.S. Capitol or an intention to disrupt the transition of presidential power. “Participation in a plan to protest on January 6 does not equate to instructing individuals on-site to forcibly enter the Capitol,” asserted Tarrio’s legal team in submitted court documents.

Tarrio was arrested on January 4, 2021, initially for defacing a Black Lives Matter banner at a previous rally in Washington, D.C. However, officials later revealed that his arrest also aimed to mitigate the risk of potential disturbances during the Congressional certification process. Tarrio complied with a judicial directive to vacate the city following his arrest.

On the day of the Capitol attack, multiple leaders, members, and associates of the Proud Boys were among the earliest individuals to infiltrate the building. The violent incursion led to an emergency response from law enforcement, compelled legislators to abandon the chambers of the House and Senate, and resulted in an interruption of Congress’s formal confirmation of Biden’s electoral victory.

Central to the government’s case were hundreds of messages exchanged among Proud Boys members in the days leading up to January 6. Although absent, Tarrio encouraged the attackers via social media, stating, “Do what must be done.” Later, when queried in a Proud Boys encrypted group chat about future actions, he replied, “Do it again.”

Tarrio later messaged, “Make no mistake. We did this.”

Reporting from Boston: Richer.

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More about Enrique Tarrio Sentencing

• [U.S. Department of Justice Statement on Enrique Tarrio]
• [January 6 Capitol Attack Timeline]
• [Role of Proud Boys in January 6 Attack]
• [Profile of U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly]
• [Legal Arguments and Court Documents for Enrique Tarrio]
• [Sedition Laws in the United States]
• [Sentences for January 6 Capitol Attack Conspirators]
• [Profile of Ethan Nordean]
• [Profile of Stewart Rhodes and the Oath Keepers]
• [U.S. Congressional Certification of 2020 Election Results]