Proud Boys sentencing hearing cancelled for ex-leader Enrique Tarrio ‘due to emergency’: Live updates

Five Proud Boys stand trial for part in Jan 6 riot
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio’s sentencing was cancelled today and rescheduled until 5 September, the Justice Department announced.
Tarrio has been found guilty of seditious conspiracy in one of the most serious cases stemming from the 6 January 2021 riots, when supporters of Donald Trump attempted to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory.
Tarrio is now among four members of the self-described “Western chauvinist” gang facing decades in prison after they were found guilty in May of seditious conspiracy and other charges.
The Justice Department is seeking 33 years in prison for Tarrio. So far the longest sentence related to Jan 6 has been given to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes who was convicted in another case of seditious conspiracy and received a sentence of 18 years.
Fellow Proud Boys Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola are also facing sentencing this week.
In a sentencing memo, prosecutors said the men “organised and directed a force of nearly 200 to attack the heart of our democracy” and “intentionally positioned themselves at the vanguard of political violence in this country.”
The re-scheduled Proud Boys sentencing hearings
After a last-minute scramble, several highly anticipated federal prison sentencing hearings for members of the Proud Boys who have been convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges have been rescheduled.
The new schedule is as follows:
Joe Biggs will be sentenced at 10am on 31 August. Prosecutors are seeking 33 years in prison. Zachary Rehl will be sentenced at 2pm. Prosecutors are seeking 30 years in prison.
Dominic Pezzola will be sentenced at 10am on 1 September. Prosecutors are seeking 20 years in prison. Ethan Nordean will be sentenced at 2pm. Prosecutors are seeking 27 years in prison.
Tarrio will be sentenced at 2pm on 5 September. Prosecutors are seeking 33 years in prison.
Those sentences would be the longest yet among the hundreds of defendants in January 6 cases.
The longest sentence thus far was applied to Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison after he was convicted of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors initially sought 25 years.
Alex Woodward30 August 2023 16:29
Sentencing cancellation not due to emergency
A spokesperson for the federal courthouse in Washington DC where Proud Boys ex-leader Enrique Tarrio and Ethan Nordean were expected to be sentenced said that there was no emergency despite the earlier statement.
The Department of Justice claimed the two men’s sentencing hearts were postponed “due to an emergency” but that was not the case.
Instead, the judge presiding over the case, Us District Judge Tim Kelly, appeared to be out sick.
Ariana Baio30 August 2023 16:00
Enrique Tarrio sentencing rescheduled for 5 September
The Department of Justice issued a notice of hearing rescheduling Enrique Tarrio’s sentencing from today until 5 September at 2pm.
Ethan Nordean’s hearing has been rescheduled from today until 1 September at 2pm.
Both hearings will be presided over by Judge Timothy Kelly.
Ariana Baio30 August 2023 15:47
Who is Enrique Tarrio?
Two days before a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol, the now-former leader of a neo-fascist gang was arrested in Washington DC shortly after stepping off a plane from Miami.
Enrique Tarrio was wanted by police after he admitted to tearing down and burning a Black Lives Matter flag outside a historically Black church in the nation’s capital during December riots connected to a protest supporting then-President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
On 6 January, 2021, Tarrio watched the insurrection unfold from a hotel in Baltimore.
Before his arrest two days earlier, Tarrio wrote to his lieutenant: “Whatever happens … make it a spectacle.”
Ariana Baio30 August 2023 15:30
Sentencing cancellation ‘emergency’ may be specific to Proud Boys
A court reporter indicated that the emergency the Justice Department cited in its cancellation notice may be specific to the Proud Boys hearing as the rest of the DC courthouse is functioning.
“Separately, the courthouse is fine,” Brandi Buchman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Whatever the emergency might have be, it appears local to the Proud Boys sentencings.”
Ariana Baio30 August 2023 15:00
Sentence cancellation comes just an hour before expected time
The Department of Justice cancelled the sentencing hearings for Proud Boys ex-leader Enrique Tarrio and Ethan Nordean, who led the Seattle chapter of the group, less than an hour before their scheduled hearings.
The two were expected to be sentenced around 10am on Wednesday.
It is unclear why the sentencings were cancelled but the US Attorney’s Office in Washington DC cited “an emergency.”
Ariana Baio30 August 2023 14:51
Proud Boys sentencing hearings canceled ‘due to emergency’
Federal prison sentencing hearings for former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and prominent member Ethan Nordean have been canceled due to an emergency, the US Department of Justice has announced.
It was not immediately clear why the hearings were postponed, though it does not appear to involve the parties.
Ariana Baio30 August 2023 14:45
Just in: Today’s Proud Boys sentencings have been postpone ‘due to an emergency’
The US Department of Justice has postponed today’s sentencings of Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio and Ethan Nordean “due to an emergency.”
It was not immediately clear what prompted the announcement.
Alex Woodward30 August 2023 14:30
Enrique Tarrio could face decades in prison
Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the neo-fascist gang the Proud Boys, will be sentenced at 10am ET in federal court in Washington DC.
In May, Tarrio and three other Proud Boys members and associates were convicted of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, among the most serious crimes facing the hundreds of people arrested in connection with the mob’s assault.
Prosecutors are seeking 33 years for Tarrio.
Tarrio, Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Dominic Pezzola and Zachary Rehl were also found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding. Four of the men – all but Pezzola – were also found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, civil disorder and destruction of government property.
The jury found Tarrio, Biggs, Nordean and Rehl guilty of seditious conspiracy after conspiring to forcefully oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power.
(REUTERS)
Alex Woodward30 August 2023 14:23
‘Donald Trump’s army’: Proud Boys members face decades in prison for January 6 sedition
A former leader of the far-right gang and three members were convicted of seditious conspiracy. They face the largest sentences yet in connection with the attack on the US Capitol, Alex Woodward reports
Maroosha Muzaffar30 August 2023 13:30