We previously reported that Mr. Tarrio had been an informant for the FBI for years.
We also reported on the trial wherein a Proud Boys witness was determined to be a paid FBI informant.
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The Proud Boys’ former leader Enrique Tarrio has been jailed for 22 years for orchestrating the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
It is the longest sentence handed down so far over the attack, which happened as lawmakers were certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Tarrio, 39, was not in Washington during the riot, but helped organise the far-right group’s involvement.
As he was led from court, he flashed the two-fingered peace or victory sign.
The Department of Justice’s sprawling investigation into the riot has so far seen more than 1,100 people arrested and charged.
The rioters turned out in support of then-president Donald Trump, who continues to deny that he lost the 2020 election. He has promised to pardon most or all of the rioters if he is re-elected president in 2024.
Tarrio was convicted in May of seditious conspiracy, a rarely used charge of planning to overthrow the government, and multiple other counts. He has been in jail since his arrest last year.
In their sentencing recommendation, prosecutors described Tarrio as a “naturally charismatic leader” and “a savvy propagandist” who was the “primary organiser” of the conspiracy he and his co-defendants were convicted of.
They also said he condoned and promoted violence from others. “He was a general rather than a soldier,” prosecutors wrote.
They argued he helped rally members of the far-right group to come to Washington DC and, while he was not in the city at the time, prosecutors said he monitored their movements and encouraged them as the attack unfolded.
As Trump supporters laid siege to the congressional complex, Tarrio posted online that he was “enjoying the show”.
“Do what must be done,” he wrote, urging on the rioters.
US District Court Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump nominee who presided over the sentencing hearing, concluded that Tarrio began planning an attack on the Capitol in December 2020 and instituted a rigid command structure.
“Tarrio was the ultimate leader, the ultimate person who organised, who was motivated by revolutionary zeal,” Judge Kelly said. “I don’t have any indication that he is remorseful for the actual things that he was convicted of.”
Before he learned his fate on Tuesday, an emotional Tarrio apologised to police and residents of Washington DC for his role in the riot. “I am extremely ashamed and disappointed that they were caused grief and suffering,” he said. “I will have to live with that shame for the rest of my life.”
Tarrio, who wore an orange jail uniform, added: “I was my own worst enemy. My hubris convinced me that I was a victim and targeted unfairly.”
Acknowledging that Mr Trump had lost the November 2020 presidential election, Tarrio said: “I am not a political zealot. I didn’t think it was even possible to change the results of the election.
I have seen the same happen in Brazil, this year, in January ( coincidence?). Although,I do sympathize with them , I cannot avoid to note that it was easily seen as a trap, from the beginning. Protests never got anything. People think that the French revolution was a people’s movement ( when it was Freemasonic) and they all believe they will get something from protests. As long as armed forces are on the side of government, there is no chance that people will get anything out of protests. ( Besides jails sentences). Besides, president Trump was pro max, so I… Read more »
He’ll be pardoned in Jan of ’25.