Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the radical right-wing group Proud Boys, received the longest sentence ever imposed in connection with the January 6, 2021 riots at the Washington Capitol. He was accused of of a “calculated act of terrorism.”
“It was a calculated act of terrorism. He practiced and endorsed the use of disinformation,” prosecutors argued during a sentencing hearing in the federal District Court for the District of Columbia.
Tarrio was not present in Washington on the day of the January attack. He was convicted of seditious conspiracy and his role in planning the storming of the Capitol. Thousands of supporters of the Republican government in the US tried to prevent Congress from certifying the election results, which Trump said were tainted by widespread fraud,” Reuters recalled.
He added that prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to sentence Tarrio to 33 years in prison for helping lead the Baltimore attack. Tarrio’s attorneys had asked for a much shorter sentence.
Last week, Kelly also convicted, among others, another far-right Proud Boys leader, Ethan Nordean, to 18 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for 27 years in prison.
More than 1,100 people were arrested on charges of attacking the Capitol. At least 630 pleaded guilty and at least 110 were convicted in trials. Five people, including a policeman, were killed during or shortly after the riots, and more than 140 policemen were injured. The damage to the Capitol is estimated at millions.
From New York Andrzej Dobrowolski (PAP)
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