Florida's Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years in prison for Jan. 6 riots. Who is leader of Proud Boys?

Enrique Tarrio, the former national leader of the Proud Boys, was sentenced Tuesday, Sept. 5, to 22 years in prison for masterminding a seditious conspiracy aimed at disrupting the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden on Jan. 6.

The Miami native is one of the most prominent defendants yet to face charges over his alleged involvement in the insurrection. Despite not attending the actual riots, the Justice Department claimed that Tarrio "conspired to corruptly obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding, the certification of the Electoral College vote."

Here's what to know about Tarrio and his role within the Proud Boys, as well as the charges he is facing.

Insurrection news: Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years, harshest Jan. 6 penalty yet

Who is Enrique Tarrio?

Henry "Enrique" Tarrio is an American far-right activist and the former leader of Proud Boys, hailing from Miami. In 2020, he also was the Florida state director of the grassroots organization "Latinos for Trump."

What are the Proud Boys?

The Proud Boys is a neofascist white nationalist organization established in 2016. The group’s members were noted for their misogynistic and anti-Semitic rhetoric, QAnon-related beliefs, their support for former president Donald Trump, and their propensity for street violence.

Canadian far-right commentator Gavin McInnes founded the Proud Boys before stepping down in 2018, allowing Tarrior to take over.

How did Enrique Tarrio get involved with the Proud Boys group?

Tarrio first encountered the Proud Boys after he volunteered at a Miami event for far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos in May 2017. After joining, Tarrio attended the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that August to "protest the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials."

According to reports, the Miami native later became a fourth-degree member of the Proud Boys, a distinction reserved for those who get into a physical altercation "for the cause" when he punched a person who was believed to be aligned with Antifa. He then assumed the role of chairman for the organization on November 2018 after McInnes stepped down.

In addition to his Proud Boys role, Tarrio owns a Miami T-shirt business, known as the 1776 Shop, an online vendor for right-wing merchandise.

What role did the Proud Boys play on Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol?

According to USA Today reports, members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were convicted of being leaders of the insurrection, when thousands of rioters fought police outside the Capitol and then rampaged through building, with some chanting for Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

There were more than 2,000 rioters who entered the building, many of whom vandalized and looted parts of it. One rioter was shot to death by police outside the House chamber, a Capitol Police officer died the next day of natural causes after being sprayed with chemicals and a handful of other officers died by suicide in the weeks

In court documents from prosecutors, hundreds of messages exchanged by Proud Boys in the days leading up to Jan. 6 showed how the extremists saw themselves as revolutionaries and celebrated the Capitol attack, which sent the lawmakers into hiding.

Where was Enrique Tarrio during the Capitol Riots?

Despite not physically attending the riots, it was said that the 38-year-old "led the advance planning and remained in contact with other members of the Proud Boys during their breach of the Capitol," according to prosecutors.

The leader and creator of a special chapter of the Proud Boys known as the Ministry of Self Defense was arrested on Jan. 4 for his role in the theft and burning of a Black Lives Matter flag from a church after an earlier pro-Trump march. Tarrio was then released the following day and ordered to leave the area, so he headed with a group of allies to a hotel in Baltimore.

Prosecutors claim he remained in touch with members and monitored their actions on Jan. 6. After the attack, he repeatedly celebrated the attack, defended his allies and regretted that it didn’t fully derail the transfer of power.

How many were charged with involvement in the Capitol Riots?

Earlier this year, it was revealed that more than 950 people have been charged for their roles in the two years since the violent mob forced its way into the U.S. Capitol, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation continuing to seek hundreds more.

"Our work is far from over," Attorney General Merrick Garland said, regarding the investigation into the deadly attack on Jan. 6.

Since the insurrection, the Justice Department has arrested more than 775 individuals in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the events of that day.

What did Enrique Tarrio's lawyers argue in defense?

Tarrio was arrested in Miami. Tarrio's lawyers argued he was made a scapegoat for the Capitol attack after Trump inflamed the mob with his speech near the White House and directed supporters to the Capitol.

“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. I ask you that you not take my 40s from me.”

Lawyer brought up that he was in Baltimore the day of the attack and didn't direct anyone to assault police or destroy property. They proposed a sentence no more than 15 years.

“My client is no terrorist,” defense lawyer Sabino Jauregui said. “My client is a misguided patriot.”

In an February 2021 interview with CNN after the riot, Tarrio told reporters the men "should not have breached the Capitol with violence" and he said, "I think it was completely wrong."

What is Enrique Tarrio being charged with?

Tarrio was convicted of six charges: seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding of Congress, obstruction of a proceeding, interference with law enforcement and aiding destruction of government property.

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

His sentence is the lengthiest among the hundreds involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

“Mr. Tarrio was the ultimate leader of that conspiracy. Mr. Tarrio was the ultimate leader, the ultimate person who organized, who was motivated by revolutionary zeal,” U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly said. “That conspiracy ended up with about 200 men amped up for battle encircling the Capitol.”

What other Florida residents are connected to the Proud Boys group?

Fellow Proud Boys Leader, Joseph Biggs, 38 of Ormond Beach was found guilty of the following charges: seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties, obstruction of law enforcement and destruction of government property.

In Naples, Chris Worrell was disappeared days before his sentencing in the U.S. Capitol riot case, where prosecutors are seeking more than a decade in prison, according to an FBI warrant. As of Sept. 6, he is still on the run.

The Proud Boys member was supposed to be sentenced in August after being found guilty of spraying pepper spray gel on police officers, as part of the mob storming the Capitol as Congress was certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory on Jan. 6. Prosecutors had asked a judge to sentence him to 14 years.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years in prison