Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 5 months in prison for weapons and vandalism

Proud Boys frontman Enrique Tarrio was sentenced Monday to more than five months in prison for burning a stolen Black Lives Matter banner from a church in Washington, DC, and for carrying two large gun magazines. capacity when he was arrested weeks later, the ministry told justice.

Tarrio pleaded guilty to one count of destruction of property and one count of attempted possession of a large capacity ammunition supply device in July. Tarrio said on Monday that there was “no excuse” for his actions, adding that he made “a serious mistake” that day.

“I would like to apologize profusely,” he said, adding: “What I did was wrong.”

But DC Superior Court judge Harold Cushenberry was not convinced.

“Mr. Tarrio has clearly, intentionally and proudly crossed the line from a peaceful demonstration and assembly to dangerous and potentially violent conduct,” the judge said. “He didn’t give a damn about the laws of the District of Columbia.”

The charges stem from an incident on December 12, 2020 when a group of Proud Boys members, including Tarrio, stole a banner reading “#BLACKLIVESMATTER” from Asbury United Methodist Church, sprayed it with lighter fluid and set it on fire, the United States said the District of Columbia attorney’s office.

Tarrio posted a photo of himself holding an unlit lighter next to two lit lighters, and admitted to burning the banner on social media and in comments to news outlets, prosecutors said.

Tarrio was arrested on his return from Florida to Washington on January 4, 2021, two days before the assault on the U.S. Capitol. Police searched his satchel and found the two gun magazines, each bearing the Proud Boys insignia, prosecutors said. He reportedly told detectives that he planned to give the magazines to someone in Washington. The day after his arrest, Tarrio was ordered to stay away by DC

Cushenberry sentenced Tarrio to 90 days on the charge of destroying property and 150 days for attempting to possess a large capacity ammunition supply device, but suspended all days except 155 of the sentence on condition that Tarrio is serving a three-year probation, the DOJ said. He will also have to pay a $ 1,000 fine and $ 347 to the church.