Enrique Tarrio, the former national chairman of the Proud Boys, was convicted of seditious conspiracy in May 2023 for orchestrating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison, the longest term handed to any January 6 defendant. He served roughly two years before President Donald Trump pardoned him on January 20, 2025, as part of a sweeping clemency order covering more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Capitol breach.
What He Did Before and During January 6
Tarrio was not at the Capitol on January 6. A D.C. judge had ordered him out of the city after his January 4, 2021, arrest for burning a Black Lives Matter banner torn from a historic Black church weeks earlier. Prosecutors argued he directed the attack remotely from a hotel outside Washington.1WTTW News. Proud Boys Leader Charged Conspiracy Capitol Riot
On December 30, 2020, an associate sent Tarrio a nine-page document titled “1776 Returns,” outlining a plan to occupy congressional office buildings and the Supreme Court on January 6 to disrupt the transfer of presidential power. The document described roles for participants, told them to wear suits, and suggested COVID-era face shields to conceal identities. Its stated goal was “to ensure there is an entry point for the masses to rush the building.”2NBC News. Court Document Proud Boys Case Laid Plan to Occupy Capitol Buildings When the associate wrote that “The revolution is important than anything,” Tarrio replied: “That’s what every waking moment consists of … I’m not playing games.”1WTTW News. Proud Boys Leader Charged Conspiracy Capitol Riot A former federal prosecutor later called it “an absolutely devastating piece of evidence.”3USA Today. 1776 Returns Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio Zachary Rehl
On the evening of January 5, Tarrio met Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes for roughly 30 minutes in an underground parking garage in Washington. A documentary film crew recorded about 22 minutes of the encounter. Court filings say Tarrio told another person during the meeting that he had cleared his phone and locked it behind two verification steps.4Politico. Film Crew January 5 Meeting Proud Boys Oath Keepers
On January 6, prosecutors said, Proud Boys members used Baofeng radios on specific frequencies to avoid eavesdropping, and phone records showed a 42-second call between Tarrio and co-defendant Joseph Biggs just before 3 p.m. as Biggs moved in and out of the Capitol.1WTTW News. Proud Boys Leader Charged Conspiracy Capitol Riot After the breach, Tarrio sent a message that became one of the trial’s most cited pieces of evidence: “Make no mistake. We did this.”5NPR. Proud Boys Jan 6 Sedition Trial Verdict
The Seditious Conspiracy Trial
Tarrio was arrested on March 8, 2022, and tried in federal court in Washington before Judge Timothy Kelly alongside four co-defendants: Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola. The prosecution’s case drew on roughly 500,000 chat messages, video, podcasts, and testimony from FBI agents, police officers, and former Proud Boys who had pleaded guilty. Prosecutors described the Proud Boys as a “fighting force” for Trump for whom “politics meant actual physical violence.” Defense attorneys argued their clients were being scapegoated and that no written evidence proved a conspiracy to use force. Tarrio’s lawyer argued Trump himself had incited the crowd by telling them to “fight like hell.”6PBS NewsHour. Former Proud Boys Leader Tarrio Found Guilty of Jan 6 Sedition Plot
On May 4, 2023, the jury found Tarrio guilty of seditious conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent officers from discharging their duties, obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder, and destruction of government property. Nordean, Biggs, and Rehl were also convicted of seditious conspiracy. Pezzola was acquitted of that charge but convicted of others. The jury deadlocked on 10 additional counts.5NPR. Proud Boys Jan 6 Sedition Trial Verdict
The 22-Year Sentence
On September 5, 2023, Judge Kelly sentenced Tarrio to 22 years in prison. Prosecutors had sought 33 years; the defense had asked for no more than 15. The sentence exceeded the 18 years given to Stewart Rhodes and to Nordean. Kelly called Tarrio the “ultimate leader” of a conspiracy driven by “revolutionary zeal,” noted that he had monitored the attack and celebrated it, and said he saw no evidence of genuine remorse. Kelly was skeptical of Tarrio’s courtroom apology, citing Tarrio’s earlier comparison of a co-defendant to George Washington, which the judge called “slander” to the “father of our country.”7Politico. Sentencing Enrique Tarrio Proud Boys
The Proud Boys co-defendants received the following sentences:
- Ethan Nordean: 18 years8Washington Post. Proud Boys Pezzola Nordean Sentencing Jan 6
- Joseph Biggs: 17 years9ABC News. Proud Boy Leaders Joe Biggs Zachary Rehl Sentenced
- Zachary Rehl: 15 years9ABC News. Proud Boy Leaders Joe Biggs Zachary Rehl Sentenced
- Dominic Pezzola: 10 years; he smashed a Capitol window that enabled the first breach of the building8Washington Post. Proud Boys Pezzola Nordean Sentencing Jan 6
The Trump Pardon
On January 20, 2025, his first day back in office, Trump issued a clemency order covering everyone charged in connection with January 6. Most defendants, Tarrio included, received “full, complete and unconditional” pardons; the sentences of 14 others, including Biggs and Rehl, were commuted.106ABC. Trump Commutes Sentences of Jan 6 Rioters Including Former Philadelphia Proud Boys Leader Tarrio walked out of federal prison that evening.11NBC News. Ex-Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Back Home After Trumps Jan 6 Clemency
Trump described the pardons as ending “a grave national injustice” and beginning “a process of national reconciliation.”12PBS NewsHour. Trumps Jan 6 Clemency Releases Former Proud Boys Leader Oath Keepers Founder from Lengthy Sentences Tarrio told reporters, “If we would have gotten a fair trial, I wouldn’t have been in a position where I needed a pardon.”11NBC News. Ex-Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Back Home After Trumps Jan 6 Clemency
Life After Release
On February 21, 2025, roughly a month after his release, Tarrio held a press conference on Capitol Hill with other Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. When a counter-protester held a cell phone close to his face, U.S. Capitol Police said they saw Tarrio strike her phone and arm. He was arrested on a simple assault charge and placed in a police van.13NBC News. Ex-Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Arrested Assault Charge US Capitol The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. later declined to prosecute.14NBC Washington. DC Prosecutors Decline to Charge Ex-Proud Boys Leader After US Capitol Arrest
The next day, February 22, 2025, Tarrio was recorded following former Capitol Police officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn, Metropolitan Police officer Daniel Hodges, and former Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell through the lobby of a Washington hotel hosting the “Principles First” summit. He called them “cowards” and accused them of laughing at his 2023 sentencing. Fanone called Tarrio a “traitor to this country.”15The Guardian. Enrique Tarrio Capitol Police
On June 6, 2025, Tarrio and his four seditious-conspiracy co-defendants sued the federal government in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (case number 6:25-cv-998). The complaint names the United States, FBI Special Agent Nicole Miller, and unidentified FBI and DOJ employees. It alleges Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment violations, malicious prosecution, and false imprisonment, accusing agents and prosecutors of evidence tampering, witness intimidation, violations of attorney-client privilege, and home raids without probable cause.16The Guardian. January 6 Enrique Tarrio Lawsuit The plaintiffs seek unspecified compensatory damages and $100 million each in punitive damages.17CBS News Miami. 5 Proud Boys Sue US Government Over Jan 6 Prosecutions
In May 2026, the Department of Justice announced a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” to compensate people it described as victims of government “lawfare.” Tarrio said publicly he believes he is owed “somewhere in the mid-tens of millions,” citing time in solitary confinement and what he described as FBI interference at trial.18PBS NewsHour. Ex-Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Tells PBS News He Believes Hes Owed Tens of Millions from DOJ Fund Officer Harry Dunn and Officer Daniel Hodges sued to block payouts, and U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a temporary order in a related Virginia case barring the government from moving forward.19Jurist. DC Police Officers Sue Trump Over Anti-Weaponization Fund By early June 2026, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the administration was scrapping the fund.20Los Angeles Times. Judge Temporarily Blocks Payouts from Trumps Anti-Weaponization Settlement Fund
Background: Miami Roots, a Federal Fraud Case, and the Proud Boys
Tarrio was born and raised in Miami, with roots in Little Havana and Flagami. He is Cuban American and has cited his heritage against accusations that the Proud Boys are a white supremacist organization, telling reporters in 2020, “I’m pretty brown. I am Cuban. There’s nothing white supremacist about me.”21Los Angeles Times. Enrique Tarrio Proud Boy Federal Prison January 6 Hispanic He dropped out of high school and later ran surveillance and security companies.22NBC Miami. Who Is Enrique Tarrio: A Look at Miami Proud Boys Leader Pardoned by Trump
In 2012, Tarrio was arrested in a federal fraud case in the Southern District of Florida. He and two co-defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to receive, possess, and resell stolen Abbott Laboratories diabetic test strips. The court calculated a $1.2 million loss and ordered restitution to Abbott. Tarrio’s 30-month sentence was reduced to 16 months after a government motion citing his “substantial assistance” as a law enforcement informant.23George Washington University Program on Extremism. Enrique Tarrio Government Detention Memorandum
Reuters reported in January 2021, citing a 2014 court transcript and a former federal prosecutor, that Tarrio worked as a prolific undercover informant for federal and local law enforcement after his 2012 arrest. His cooperation led to prosecutions of at least 13 people across marijuana grow houses, cocaine and ecstasy trafficking, anabolic steroid sales, pharmaceutical fraud, gambling, and a human smuggling ring, in which he personally negotiated to pay $11,000 to smugglers to bring in fictitious family members.24Reuters. Exclusive: Proud Boys Leader Was Prolific Informer for Law Enforcement His defense attorney at the time told the court: “Your Honour, frankly, in all the years, which is now more than 30 that I’ve been doing this, I’ve never had a client as prolific in terms of co-operating in any respect.”25BBC. Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Was FBI Informer Confronted with the transcript years later, Tarrio told Reuters, “I don’t know any of this. I don’t recall any of this.”
Tarrio joined the Proud Boys in 2017 and became chairman after founder Gavin McInnes stepped down. Under his leadership the group gained notoriety for physical confrontations with left-wing groups at rallies. He also attended the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.21Los Angeles Times. Enrique Tarrio Proud Boy Federal Prison January 6 Hispanic