The mother of Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, has publicly asked President-elect Donald Trump to pardon her son.
Enrique Tarrio, though not physically present in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, was convicted of seditious conspiracy... Continue reading here ▶
Prosecutors argued that as the head of the Proud Boys, Tarrio played a key role in planning and encouraging the riot. He received the longest sentence of any January 6 defendant.
In an interview with NBC affiliate WTVJ, Tarrio’s mother, Zuny Tarrio, pleaded directly with Trump. “President Trump, I believe my son and the others involved in January 6 deserve to be home with their families.
We’ve suffered enough,” she said. While acknowledging the seriousness of the riot, she suggested it could have been prevented.
“I don’t think anyone supports what happened that day,” she said. “But the government could have taken steps to stop it before it happened.”
At least five police officers died following the events of January 6, and many more were injured. When asked about the officers’ sacrifices, Zuny commented, “There are risks when you take an oath like that.”
She also argued that her son wasn’t directly involved since he wasn’t present in D.C. that day. “Enrique wasn’t on the Capitol grounds. He wasn’t even in the city,” she said.
Prosecutors stated that Tarrio created a Proud Boys chapter called the “Ministry of Self Defense” to plan the Capitol attack and used encrypted messages to coordinate the group’s actions.
Although Tarrio had been ordered to leave D.C. before the riot for unrelated charges, prosecutors claimed he still encouraged his followers to continue with the attack.
The defense argued there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Tarrio and the other Proud Boys conspired to carry out the attack. They also pointed to former President Trump’s role, highlighting his speech at the “Stop the Steal” rally that morning, where he told supporters to “march to the Capitol” and “fight like hell.”
As Tarrio’s mother described the situation, she called the years her son has spent in prison “horrific.” “It’s heartbreaking to see your child in federal prison for something he didn’t directly do,” she said.
The January 6 attack remains a highly contentious issue, with many imprisoned rioters now hoping Trump will grant them pardons, as he suggested during his campaign.
