Proud Boys Leader Sentenced To 22 Years For Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

WASHINGTON, DC — Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys, was sentenced to 22 years in prison Tuesday after he was found guilty of sedition for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The sentence is the longest handed down yet for the U.S. Capitol attack.

Tarrio, 39, of Miami, pleaded for leniency before the judge imposed the prison term topping the 18-year sentences given to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and one-time Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean for seditious conspiracy and other convictions stemming from the riot.

Rising to speak before the sentence was handed down, Tarrio called Jan. 6 a "national embarrassment" and apologized to the police officers who defended the Capitol and the lawmakers who fled in fear. His voice cracked as he said he let down his family and vowed he was done with politics.

"I am not a political zealot. Inflicting harm or changing the results of the election was not my goal," Tarrio said. "Please show me mercy," he said, adding, "I ask you that you not take my 40s from me."

The trial of Tarrio and four other Proud Boys began in January, more than two years after group members joined thousands of others in storming the Capitol to forcibly prevent the peaceful transfer of power from then-President Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 election.

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Tarrio's co-defendants Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl were also found guilty of seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, according to the Department of Justice. A fifth defendant, Dominic Pezzola, was found not guilty of seditious conspiracy, according to authorities.

Tarrio, Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were also convicted of obstructing a joint session of Congress gathered to certify Biden's electoral victory, obstructing law enforcement and several other charges. The four were cleared of an assault charge stemming from Pezzola, who stole an officer's riot shield.

According to court documents, Tarrio created a special chapter of the Proud Boys known as the "Ministry of Self Defense." Through the group, authorities said Tarrio, Nordean, Biggs, Rehl, and Pezzola conspired to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

All five men were accused of mobilizing and leading members of the Proud Boys in attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Tarrio and his co-defendants claimed credit for what happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack, authorities said.

Tarrio wasn't in Washington when Proud Boys members joined thousands of Trump supporters, who smashed windows, beat police officers and poured into the House and Senate chambers as lawmakers met to certify Biden's victory. He had been arrested two days before the riot on charges that he defaced a Black Lives Matter banner during an earlier rally in the nation's capital, and he had complied with a judge's order to leave the city after his arrest.

The defense asked for no more than 15 years in prison, arguing that their client should not be punished as harshly as the Oath Keepers' Rhodes, who was present on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6.

Defense attorney Nayib Hassan told reporters after the hearing that they will appeal.

Tarrio's lawyers described him as a "keyboard ninja" prone to "talk trash" but did not intend to overthrow the government. The Proud Boys' only plans that day were to protest the election and confront left-wing Antifa activists, attorney Sabino Jauregui told the judge.

"My client is no terrorist," Jauregui said. "My client is a misguided patriot."

Tarrio was the final Proud Boys leader convicted of seditious conspiracy to receive his punishment. Three fellow Proud Boys found guilty by a Washington jury of the rarely used sedition charge were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 18 years.

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The Justice Department is appealing the 18-year prison sentence of Rhodes, the Oath Keepers founder, and the sentences of other members of his antigovernment militia group that were lighter than prosecutors had sought. Prosecutors had requested 25 years in prison for Rhodes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.