Enrique Tarrio, a Miami native convicted on felony charges of seditious conspiracy for his role in plotting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, has been released from a 22-year prison sentence among a sweeping declaration of pardons Monday by Donald Trump, one of the new president’s first acts in office.
In all, Trump commuted the sentences of 14 people for their role in the attack. But he then issued “a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol” that day, according to a copy of the executive order released by the White House.
Tarrio had been chairman of the Proud Boys when he helped plan the march on the Capitol, court records from his trial showed.
The Floridian was seen by the Justice Department and Jan. 6 select congressional committee as one of the most egregious offenders among more than 1,400 individuals who were convicted over the events of that day.
Tarrio never entered the capital region in person on Jan. 6. But as the attack unfolded, Tarrio took credit online.
“Make no mistake,” he wrote at the time. “We did this.”
The Justice Department charged him over his effort “to oppose by force the authority of the government of the United States” due to his role on Jan. 6, the original indictment reads. Hearings from the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack also highlighted Tarrio’s role, finding that he and other Proud Boys were captured on video acknowledging that Trump’s remark about their group at a 2020 presidential debate — that the Proud Boys should “stand back and stand by” — was interpreted by followers as a green light for their actions. Tarrio previously had served as Florida state director for an independent Latinos for Trump group. More here