He loved to dress up. Now he’ll be wearing a different costume:
Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, former leader of the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys, was sentenced on Wednesday to 22 years in prison for his role in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
Why it matters: Tarrio’s sentencing caps one of the highest-profile prosecutions related to the Capitol riot, and his isthe longest sentence handed down in the Jan. 6 cases.
The previous highest sentencing record related to Jan. 6 was held by Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in May.
Of note: Prosecutors had sought a 33-year sentence for Tarrio.
Flashback: Tarrio was found guilty in May of seditious conspiracy related to Jan. 6, alongside other Proud Boys members.
Tarrio wasn’t at the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot because he was arrested days earlier for vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church in D.C. in 2020.
However, prosecutors have argued that Tarrio maintained command over Proud Boys members after his arrest and cheered on the group as its members stormed the Capitol.
Prosecutors also noted Tarrio took credit for the riot on behalf of the group.
Zoom out: The Justice Department said in the spring that more than 1,030 people have been charged in connection to Jan. 6 in the roughly two years since the attack, and around 570 have pleaded guilty.
The big picture: Two other former Proud Boy leaders also received lengthy sentences last week for their actions on and around Jan. 6.
Joseph Biggs was sentenced to 17 years in prison last week, while Zachary Rehl received 15 years in prison.
Andrew Weissman points out that the judges who’ve been hearing these cases have been seeing Jan 6th cases now for years and they are not inclined to go easy on the “generals” who coordinated and incited this event. It’s hard to imagine they will go easy on the Commander in Chief of the Insurrection.
BTW: