Enrique Tarrio, who exited the gate at Miami International Airport wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat that read “Never Surrender,” is guilty of seditious conspiracy for orchestrating the Jan. 25 attack on the U.S. Capitol. After receiving his sentence, he returned to Miami. 6th, 2021.
The former Proud Boys chairman was greeted by a group of friends, family and other “J-6ers” who were waiting for him at the airport to celebrate his pardon by President Donald Trump.
A crowd of people waiting outside the gate could be heard shouting “welcome home” while another shouted “traitor”.
As he was loading Tarrio out of the airport and into his car, Gabriel Garcia, who was also pardoned by President Trump on Monday, was approached by someone in the crowd.
“Hey, come visit us in Seattle, bro,” one man yelled at him, and the two began arguing.
“He won!” Garcia said, pointing to a shirt emblazoned with President Trump’s face.
Tarrio, who was released from a federal correctional facility in Louisiana on Tuesday, was interviewed by a WPLG Local 10 News reporter after his arrival and said he was “very excited to see my family.”
Tarrio, who was arrested in Miami in March 2022, said of the presidential pardon on January 6, “I’m really happy that Mr. Trump kept his promise.”
Tarrio said he expects the Trump administration to investigate former Justice Department officials, including former Attorney General Merrick Garland, who oversaw the Jan. 6 investigation.
“If they committed a crime, they should be prosecuted,” he said. “They went through the exact same system that we went through.”
Tarrio’s attorneys said at trial that Tarrio never identified himself as the Proud Boys general who was the man who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 when his colleagues and thousands of others stormed the U.S. Capitol. . The main reason is that Tarrio was watching the violence unfold on television from his hotel room. Baltimore. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2023 after a federal jury in Washington found him and other Proud Boys guilty of seditious conspiracy and related charges.
But after months of trial, it no longer matters what jurors thought about Tarrio’s guilt. Tarrio, 40, returned to Miami as a free man on Wednesday after President Trump pardoned him and about 1,300 others convicted of storming the Capitol. President Trump also commuted the sentences of 14 other people convicted in the January 6 investigation.
Veteran Miami lawyers say President Trump’s Jan. 6 pardon for criminals was a farce. That’s not just because President Trump was convicted of vandalizing the U.S. Capitol and assaulting police officers after urging his supporters to march on Congress at a rally that day. . On Tuesday, the Justice Department’s deputy attorney general released a memo urging federal prosecutors to pursue tougher charges and sentences for various criminal suspects.
Miami defense attorney Frank Quintero said, “Having listened to interviews with some of the J6 defendants who were pardoned and released, none of them showed any remorse for their actions and accepted responsibility.” I was surprised that it wasn’t, but I’m not surprised.”
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“The Justice Department’s new policy will result in harsher charges and longer sentences for those charged with crimes, not just foreign gangs, drug cartels, and immigrant criminals.” added.
Prime of Proud Boys
The Proud Boys were at their peak during President Trump’s first term, calling themselves “a pro-Western fraternity for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western chauvinists.” .
But its reputation, along with that of other white supremacist groups like the Oath Keepers, took a major hit after the violent Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Proud Boys chairman Tarrio has organized a group of hardcore members (Ministry of Self-Defense Forces) to develop a “national rally plan” for Stop the Steal protests on January 6th. was indicted for doing so. Congress will certify the electoral votes on the same day.
The indictment further alleges that Tarrio and the other Proud Boys defendants (Ethan Nordeen, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Lehr) designed the extremist strategy to target the Capitol, and that they used the Internet to develop the strategy and engage members. They accused him of using the funds not only to recruit people, but also to raise funds and purchase militia groups. equipment for attack.
According to the indictment, Tarrio and other leaders of the Department of Self-Defense Forces hand-picked members of the organization, including Dominic Pezzola, to serve as “rally members” during the Capitol attack.
Tarrio did not take part in the attack on the Capitol by Proud Boys and other extremist groups on the afternoon of January 6th. He watched the assault on Baltimore television news after being ordered to leave the District of Columbia by a federal judge following his arrest at an earlier protest in the capital.
But Tarrio was not absent. He expressed support for the Proud Boys in online posts and gave them an inspirational direction.
“Once I’m done watching this, I’m going to make a statement about the (January 4th) arrest…but for now I’m enjoying this show…I’ll do what I have to do. #WeThePeople.”
Minutes later, Tarrio posted: “Don’t go home.”
A Proud Boy member responded, “Are we a militia yet?”
In a series of posts, Tarrio said: “Yeah…don’t get me wrong…we did this…”
While Tarrio rejoices as a bystander, carnage is unfolding in the capital.
At least five people, including a police officer and one rioter, died during or shortly after the attack. Four more police officers protecting the Capitol that day later died by suicide. More than 170 police officers were also injured during the siege.
Tarrio’s role also came to light during a House Select Committee hearing on the January 6 attack. Committee members said Trump’s comments during the 2020 presidential debate that his group should “step back and wait” led Trump’s supporters to criticize him. It was discovered that a video had been filmed admitting that their actions were interpreted as a green light. .
Tarrio previously served as the Florida state director for the pro-Trump Independent Latino Organization.
At his inaugural rally Monday night, Trump did not mention Tarrio by name, but he called those charged in the January 6 riot “hostages” and said he would keep his promise to pardon them. spoke to the crowd.
“Tonight, I’m going to sign a pardon for the J6 hostages to rescue them,” President Trump told the crowd at Capitol One Arena. “We’re going to sign amnesties for a lot of people. A lot of people.”
The president made the announcement while standing on stage in front of the families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
About 30 minutes after Trump left the rally, Tarrio’s mother posted on social media that her son had been released from custody.
“Oh God! Thank you Lord!!! Tarrio is free!!!” Zuni Tarrio wrote in the post.
However, during a White House press conference on Tuesday, President Trump was asked by a reporter about pardoning Daniel Rodriguez, who was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer with a stun gun on January 6. It was done. Veteran Mike Fanone later suffered a heart attack and resigned from the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department.
“Do you agree that assaulting police officers is never acceptable?” the reporter asked.
“Of course,” Trump said.
“One of the people you pardoned was a man who used a stun gun on a police officer. Why does he deserve a pardon?” the reporter asked.
“Well, I don’t know,” the president replied. “We’ll consider everything.”
