The 22 years in prison Enrique Tarrio is now being sentenced to is so far the longest sentence handed down to any of those who participated in the storming of the Capitol.
Wasn’t there
Prosecutors have alleged that Enrique Tarrio was the one who directed the Proud Boys during the attack. The evidence mainly consists of text messages sent between the group’s members before and during the storming. “Do what must be done,” Tarrio is said to have written in an encrypted group chat, according to the AP news agency.
Enrique Tarrio himself was not in attendance, however, as he had been arrested a few days earlier for setting fire to a stolen Black Lives Matter banner, NPR reports. The defense claims that he was not in contact with any members of the organization during the uprising.
Tarrio is the last of the convicted Proud Boys members to receive his sentence. Leader Ethan Nordean was sentenced late last week to 18 years in prison. Another leader, Joseph Biggs, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, and a Philadelphia local chairman, Zachary Rehl, received 15 years in prison.
Over a thousand defendants
Stewart Rhodes, founder of the extremist group Oath Keepers, who also took part in the unrest on 6 January 2021, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement.
In total, over 1,100 people have been prosecuted for crimes in connection with the storming. More than 600 have been felled so far.
Formed in 2016, Proud Boys describe themselves as Western chauvinists who romanticize traditional, male-dominated Western culture, which some see as a cover for deeper racism.
CUT: THIS IS PROUD BOYS