Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Gets Longest Prison Sentence for Any January 6 Defendant Yet

Enrique Tarrio, the Cuban-American founder and leader of the far-right and pro-Donald Trump group, the Proud Boys, has finally been sentenced after a slight delay to his seditious conspiracy case on January 6, 2021.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly gave Tarrio the longest sentence for any January 6 defendant to date: 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and leading a failed plot to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as stated in the Constitution.

He and his Proud Boys members were instrumental in the January 6 Capitol insurrection as they tried to prevent Joe Biden's lawful win against Donald Trump in 2020 from being certified. While other Proud Boys leaders were sentenced earlier this week, Tarrio had to be sentenced at a later date due to the judge being sick, according to CBS News.

"It is kind of hard to put into words how important the peaceful transfer of power is," Judge Kelly said in his decision. "Our country was founded as an experiment in self-government by the people, but it cannot long endure if the way we elect our leaders is threatened with force and violence."

Judge Kelly also called Enrique Tarrio the "ultimate leader, the ultimate person who organized, who was motivated by revolutionary zeal" and noted that the far-right militia leader had shown "no remorse" during the proceedings. "What happened that day did not honor the founders, it was the kind of thing they wrote the Constitution to prevent," concluded Kelly.

Enrique Tarrio's Lawyer Vows To Appeal Decision

Nayib Hassan, Tarrio's attorney, told CNN that they "respectfully disagree" with the judge's decision and stated that it caught them "off guard." He added that they will be appealing that decision.

Tarrio had the chance to speak before he was sentenced and apologized for the "pain and suffering" that he and the other Proud Boys members did to law enforcement, legislators, and others during the events of January 6. He insisted he is not a political zealot and vowed to have "nothing to do with politics, groups, activism or rallies."

Proud Boys, Oath Keepers Trials Open the Stage for Donald Trump's Washington DC Trial

After members of the two big far-right militia groups, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, the stage is now set for the man they tried to do an insurrection for, Donald Trump.

While many who participated in the January 6 Capitol insurrection have already been sentenced, the man whom many say is behind it all is still walking free. Now, these cases may soon be connected, as noted by Mary McCord, a former federal prosecutor and Georgetown Law professor.

"The cases involving seditious conspiracy and the case in which Mr. Trump is charged federally do all involve an effort to prevent the peaceful transition of presidential power - to overrule or override the will of the voters," McCord told The Hill. "Mr. Trump is a different defendant than an Enrique Tarrio or a Stewart Rhodes."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Proud Boys' Enrique Tarrio gets record 22 years in prison for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy - WGN News