Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys admitted that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. It has been noted that he pleaded with a federal judge for leniency on 5 September via The Independent.
Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison for producing a failed plot to keep the former president in power. This marked the longest sentence ever to date among the hundreds of cases connected to the Capitol riot on 6 January, 2021, an attack fuelled by Trump’s false narrative that the election was “stolen” from him and “rigged” against him.
Prior to his sentence was handed down in US District Court in Washington DC, Tarrio apologized for his actions, branded the Capitol riot a “national embarrassment” and vowed that his days of meddling in politics are over.
He also publicly denounced his false claims that the election was “stolen” from Mr Trump.
“My candidate lost,” he admitted.
“What happened on January 6 was a national embarrassment … I do not think what happened that day was acceptable,” he said.
Choking up with emotion, Tarrio said that he had let his family down with his actions as he begged the judge not to rob him of his 40s behind bars.
“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. I ask you that you not take my 40s from me.”
He added: “When I get back home I want nothing to do with politics, groups, activism or rallies … and when you walk out that door your honour, I won’t be saying anything other than that.”
But the admission came too late to save him from being hit with the longest prison sentence to date over the Capitol riot that resulted in five deaths and hundreds of law enforcement officers injured.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly said that Tarrio was the “ultimate leader” of the Proud Boys’ conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election in Mr Trump’s favour.
