Proud Boys leader is jailed to more than five months for burning BLM banner he tore down from historic black church - and for bringing high-powered ammo to D.C. days before Capitol riot
Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio has been jailed for more than five months for burning a Black Lives Matter banner torn down from a historic black church in DC and bringing two high-capacity firearm magazines to the nation's capital shortly before the January 6 riot.
On Monday, Tarrio, 37, was sentenced to 155 days in jail—with an additional 85 suspended for destruction of property and attempted possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.
During Monday's court hearing, Tarrio said he was 'profusely' sorry for his actions, calling them a 'grave mistake.'
'What I did was wrong,' Tarrio added during the hearing held via videoconference.
On Monday, Enrique Tarrio, 37, (pictured left), was sentenced to more than five months in jail for burning a Black Lives Matter banner torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington, D.C.
Authorities say Tarrio stole the banner that read #BLACKLIVESMATTER from the Asbury United Methodist Church on Dec. 12 and then set it ablaze using lighter fluid and lighters
In July, Tarrio told NPR he plans to step down from his role of national chairman in September and focus on his chapter in Florida instead.
'I've always said my goal for this year... was simple,' Tarrio told the publication. 'Start getting more involved in local politics, running our guys for office from local seats, whether it's a simple GOP seat or a city council seat.'
The Cuban-American, who was raised in Miami's Little Havana, has led the group since late 2018.
In addition to jail time, Tarrio will also be expected to pay $1,000 in fines, in addition to $347 in restitution to Asbury United Methodist Church where the banner was stolen and burned.
Tarrio was arrested as he arrived in Washington two days before thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump - including members of the Proud Boys - descended on the U.S. Capitol and disrupted the certification of the Electoral College vote.
Tarrio was ordered to stay away from Washington, and law enforcement later said Tarrio was picked up in part to help quell potential violence.
Authorities say Proud Boys members stole the banner that read #BLACKLIVESMATTER from the Asbury United Methodist Church on Dec. 12 and then set it ablaze using lighter fluid and lighters.
When police pulled Tarrio over on Jan. 4 on the warrant for vandalizing the sign, officers found two unloaded magazines emblazoned with the Proud Boys logo in his bag
Tarrio posted a picture of himself holding an unlit lighter to his Parler account and admitted days later in an interview with The Washington Post that he joined in the burning of the banner.
When police pulled Tarrio over on Jan. 4 on the warrant for vandalizing the sign, officers found two unloaded magazines emblazoned with the Proud Boys logo in his bag.
Tarrio said, according to a police report, that he sells the clips and the ones he was carrying were purchased by a customer.
Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, , is released from police custody at the Central Cell Block on January 5, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Enrique Tarrio, is close to the Republican party - currently serving as the Florida state director of the political support group Latinos for Trump, and even ran for congress as a Republican. He is pictured with Trump confidant Roger Stone who is a Proud Boys member
Tarrio pleaded guilty last month to destruction of property and attempted possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.
The FBI has found scant evidence that the January 6 attack on the US Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result, according to four current and former law enforcement officials.
Though federal officials have arrested more than 570 alleged participants, the FBI at this point believes the violence was not centrally coordinated by far-right groups or prominent supporters of then-President Donald Trump, according to the sources, who have been either directly involved in or briefed regularly on the wide-ranging investigations.
A former senior law enforcement official with knowledge of the probe said that '90 to 95 percent of these are one-off cases.'
'Then you have five percent, maybe, of these militia groups that were more closely organized. But there was no grand scheme with Roger Stone and Alex Jones and all of these people to storm the Capitol and take hostages.'
Stone, a veteran Republican operative and self-described 'dirty trickster', and Jones, founder of a conspiracy-driven radio show and webcast, are both allies of Trump and had been involved in pro-Trump events in Washington on January 5, the day before the riot.