Enrique Tarrio: Former Proud Boys leader jailed for 22 years over January 6 plot to overthrow democracy
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio has been jailed for 22 years for helping plan the January 6 US Capitol riots.
Tarrio – along with three other members of the far-right group – was convicted of the rare charge of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors say was an attempt to overthrow democracy.
Described as a street gang and a hate group, the Proud Boys have been designated as a terror group in two countries – Canada and New Zealand.
At the trial earlier this year, assistant US attorney Jason McCullough said in the days after the 2020 US presidential election the defendants had started “calling for action, calling for war, if their favoured candidate was not elected”.
Tarrio made an apologetic statement today at his sentencing, where he was handed the longest jail term to date among more than 1,100 Capitol riot cases.
Prosecutors had sought 33 years behind bars for Tarrio and described him as the ringleader of a plot to use violence to shatter the cornerstone of American democracy and overturn the 2020 election result.
His sentence tops the 18-year sentences handed down to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, and one-time Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean, who were convicted by juries of seditious conspiracy and other charges.
Although Tarrio was not present at the Capitol on January 6, because he had been arrested at a pro-Donald Trump event in the days beforehand, prosecutors say evidence suggests Tarrio “strategically calculated his arrest as a means to inspire a reaction by his followers”.
Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio. File pic
Before the judge delivered his sentence, Tarrio gave a contrite statement, apologising to the police, citizens of Washington DC, politicians and his family for the events of January 6 and his actions.
“To the men and women of law enforcement who answered the call that day, I’m sorry,” Tarrio said.
“I have always tried to hold myself to a higher standard and I failed,” he said. “I failed miserably. I thought of myself morally above others and this trial has humbled me.”
During his statement, Tarrio tried to explain his actions leading up to January 6, saying that his thoughts were initially clouded by anger at his candidate having lost the election and media he consumed which reinforced those beliefs.
“I was my own worst enemy,” he said.
Tarrio also rowed back on comments he had made comparing his co-defendant Dominic Pezzola to George Washington, words that appeared to irk Judge Tim Kelly when they came up earlier in the proceedings.
Trump supporters outside the US Capitol building during the January 6 riot. File pic: AP
“I have matured, however the cost of that maturity has been steep,” he said, expressing remorse for letting down family members and for not being able to attend the funeral of a relative who he said raised him to be a better person.
Tarrio also sought to downplay his political involvement, saying that he did not intend to change the results of the election on January 6 but only planned on going to speak at an event, to support Donald Trump and to support his friends.
“I am not a political zealot,” he said. “When I get back home I want nothing to do with politics, groups, activism or rallies.”
Tarrio added that he wouldn’t be saying anything different when Judge Kelly left the room, an apparent reference to his co-defendant Pezzola who shouted “Trump won” after receiving his 10-year sentence last week.
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Are the Proud Boys still a threat?
Read more:
How four Proud Boys secretly planned to overthrow American democracy
Former Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean jailed for 18 years
“God bless this entire court,” Tarrio said in closing.
However, while Judge Kelly said he was glad to hear the apologetic comments, he said he found the remarks lacking.
“I don’t have any indication that he’s remorseful for the actual things that he’s convicted of,” he said, calling Tarrio’s statement “better than nothing”.
The Justice Department is preparing to put Mr Trump on trial at the same courthouse in Washington on charges that the then-president illegally schemed to cling to power.
The Republican frontrunner to contest the 2024 presidential election earlier this month denied the four charges – of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.
He also denounced the indictment as “a persecution of a political opponent”.
Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.
The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.
It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.
Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”
Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.
But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.
The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.
In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.
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In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.
“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.
Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
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