Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio is set to be released from prison, his attorney said, after President Donald Trump granted pardons to almost all of the more than 1,500 people convicted for their roles in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Why It Matters
On his first day back in office, Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences of, or vowed to dismiss the cases of all the people charged with crimes in connection with the Capitol riot.
His action paves the way for the release from prison of people found guilty of violent attacks and the leaders of far-right groups who stormed the Capitol in a bid to stop the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory and keep Trump in power.
The president and his supporters have long maintained that the rioters are "political prisoners." However, a poll conducted earlier this month found that only two in 10 Americans supported pardoning them.
What to Know
Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison in September 2023 after being convicted of crimes including seditious conspiracy, received a full pardon.
His attorney told the Associated Press that he expected his client to be released from prison on Monday night.
"This marks a pivotal moment in our client's life, and it symbolizes a turning point for our nation," attorney Nayib Hassan said in a statement. "We are optimistic for the future, as we now turn the page on this chapter, embracing new possibilities and opportunities."
Newsweek contacted Hassan for further comment via email outside of regular business hours.
Tarrio's sentence was the harshest given to any person convicted in connection with the Capitol riot. Prosecutors had sought 33 years behind bars for Tarrio, saying he was the ringleader of a plot to use violence to keep Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.
Tarrio had not been in Washington, D.C., on the day of the riot, because he had been arrested two days earlier in a separate case and released from jail on the condition that he would not enter the city.
But prosecutors said he organized and directed the attack by members of the Proud Boys, who stormed the Capitol that day. They argued that his absence did "nothing to detract from the severity of his conduct" in orchestrating the group's involvement in the event, calling him "a general rather than a soldier."
Tarrio's defense asked for no more than 15 years, arguing that their client should not be punished more harshly that those who were present at the Capitol on January 6.
Speaking before his sentence was handed down, Tarrio called January 6 a "national embarrassment" and apologized to the police officers who defended the Capitol and the lawmakers who fled in fear, the AP reported at the time.
He also vowed that he was done with politics.
"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."
Who Is Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio?
Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, who is Afro-Cuban, was born in Miami. He was chairman of the neofascist Proud Boys from 2018 to 2021, leading the group as it came to greater national prominence during Trump's first term.
He was also the leader of a grassroots group called Latinos for Trump that was active during the 2020 election cycle, CNN reported.
Reuters reported in 2021 that Tarrio was once an informant for federal and local law enforcement, repeatedly working undercover after he was arrested in 2012. He helped authorities prosecute more than a dozen people in various cases involving drugs, gambling and human smuggling, the report said.
What People Are Saying
Trump's order said the pardons and commutations will end "a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years" and begin "a process of national reconciliation."
Tarrio's mother, Zuny Tarrio, wrote in a post to X, formerly Twitter: "My son has is being released!!!! Omg! Lord thank you!!! TARRIO IS FREE!!!"
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement: "The people who invaded the Capitol on January 6th, whether they committed violence or not, should not have been pardoned. They unlawfully broke into the Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power. What they did is a serious crime.
"Donald Trump is ushering in a Golden Age for people that break the law and attempt to overthrow the government."
What's Next
Those being held for crimes related to the Capitol riot are being released.
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