‘This trial has humbled me’: Far-right Proud Boys leader gets 22 years for US Congress attack

The former leader of the far-right Proud Boys choked up in court as he was jailed for over two decades for his role in the January 6 US Capitol riot.

Jack Evans and AFP

2 min read

September 6, 2023 - 11:55AM

Capitol riots agitator jailed for 22 years

Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys militia, choked up in court as he was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Tuesday for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

The almost four-hour sentencing hearing in the nation’s capital marks the stiffest ruling concerning the infamous chapter of American history.

“That day broke our previously unbroken tradition of peacefully transferring power,” US District Judge Timothy Kelly said of the attempt to stop the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over Donald Trump.

“Mr Tarrio was the ultimate leader of the conspiracy.”

Nayib Hassan, lawyer for former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, leaves federal court in Washington, DC. Tarrio was sentenced today to 22 years in prison for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Picture: Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP

Enrique Tarrio was the leader of the Proud Boys who refused to accept that Joe Biden won the election. Picture: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images/AFP

Prosecutors had sought a 33-year prison term for Tarrio, who was not in Washington on January 6 but was accused of directing the military-style assault on the Capitol by members of the Proud Boys and other supporters of the former president.

The 39-year-old Tarrio and several other members of the Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy in May for their roles in the attack.

Another member of the Proud Boys, Ethan Nordean, 32, received an 18-year prison sentence from Kelly last week.

Stewart Rhodes, the founder of another far-right militia central to the Capitol siege, the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison earlier this year.

Tarrio addressed the court before the sentence was handed down and said January 6 was a “national embarrassment.”

“My candidate lost,” he said.

“I persisted when I should have calmed.”

On January 06, 2021 supporters of Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol, attempting to shut down Congress. Picture: Joseph Prezioso / AFP

Tarrio appeared to choke up on several occasions and apologised to members of law enforcement who were attacked by rioters on what he called a “horrible day”.

“I failed miserably,” he said.

“This trial has humbled me.”

Prosecutor Conor Mulroe, arguing for the 33-year prison term, said Tarrio and the other members of the Proud Boys “tried to use force and violence to try and impose their view of what was right for the country”.

“It was Mr Tarrio, with the assistance of his co-defendants, who put this group together,” Mulroe said.

Trump trial in March

In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors described Tarrio as a “savvy propagandist”.

They said while he was not physically present in Washington on January 6, he “did far more harm than he could have as an individual rioter”.

Tarrio had acted as a “general rather than a soldier,” they said.

“The only reason Tarrio did not march alongside the others is because he was arrested upon his arrival in Washington DC and placed under a court order to leave the District,” they added.

Rioters at the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Picture: AFP

The assault on Congress left at least five people dead and 140 police officers injured. The riot followed a fiery speech by Trump to tens of thousands of his supporters near the White House in which he repeated his false claims that he won the election.

The 2024 presidential candidate will face trial in Washington in March on charges of conspiring to overturn the November 2020 election results.

Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. Picture: Jan Kruger/Getty Images.

He faces similar charges in a separate case in the southern state of Georgia.

The 77-year-old Trump was impeached for a second time by the House of Representatives after the Capitol riot – he was charged with inciting an insurrection – but was acquitted by the Senate.