Enrique Tarrio, sentenced for central role in Jan. 6 plot, is freed by Trump
Enrique Tarrio, a Miami native convicted on felony charges of seditious conspiracy for his role in plotting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, has been released from a 22-year prison sentence among a sweeping declaration of pardons by Donald Trump, one of the new president’s first acts in office.
In all, Trump commuted the sentences of 14 people for their role in the attack.
But he then issued “a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol” that day, according to a copy of the executive order released by the White House.
Tarrio, 40, had been chairman of the Proud Boys when he helped plan the march on the Capitol, court records from his trial showed. The Floridian was seen by the Justice Department and the Jan. 6 select congressional committee as one of the most egregious offenders among about 1,300 individuals who were convicted over the events of that day.
Trump’s pardons will erase all of the Jan. 6 criminal convictions obtained by the Justice Department during the Biden administration.
Tarrio, who had been living in the Southwest Miami-Dade area before his arrest in March 2022, was released from a federal correctional facility in Louisiana on Tuesday. He’s expected to arrive by plane at Miami International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.
In a statement to McClatchy, Tarrio’s attorney extended “our deepest gratitude” to Trump “for his timely and significant decision to issue a full and complete pardon for our client.” The lawyer, Nayib Hassan, described the seditious conspiracy case against Tarrio as “politically motivated.”
“This marks a pivotal moment in our client’s life, and it symbolizes a turning point for our nation,” Hassan said. “We are optimistic for the future, as we now turn the page on this chapter, embracing new possibilities and opportunities. We look forward to President Trump’s continued leadership and his proclamation to ‘Make America Great Again’ as a guiding principle for the future of our country.”
Other Miami Proud Boys pardoned
Other Proud Boy members from the Miami area who were pardoned by Trump include: Gabriel Garcia, 43, who was active in the Miami-Dade Republican Party, received a one-year sentence in December after being found guilty of two felonies, civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. He was scheduled to surrender to prison on Feb. 7, according to a judge’s order. In a video posted on Facebook Monday, Garcia was shown ripping off his electronic ankle bracelet that he was required to wear as part of his bail. He exclaimed: “Free at last!”
Also pardoned: Gilbert Fonticoba, 50, of Hialeah, a Proud Boy member who, too, was involved in the local Republican Party. He was sentenced to four years in prison last January after being found guilty of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. Prison records show that Fonticoba is still incarcerated at a federal facility in Central Florida, but he will soon be released.
Trump was indicted himself on charges linked to the Jan. 6 insurrection that tried to stop Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory, but those charges were later dismissed by special counsel Jack Smith after Trump reclaimed the presidency in last November’s election.
Trump’s sweeping clemency order, issued after he was sworn in on Monday, began with a political message reflecting his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him. “This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” the order reads.
Trump’s order starkly contrasted with a statement by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Jan. 6, 2025, when he reflected on the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol and assaulted police officers in the aftermath of Trump’s speech four years earlier on the Ellipse. Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol.
“January 6 was a violent attack on the law enforcement officers defending the Capitol, and it was an unprecedented attack on a cornerstone of our system of government — the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next,” Garland said two weeks ago.
Tarrio’s case
The Justice Department’s case against Tarrio stuck out for one reason: the Proud Boys leader was not in Washington on Jan. 6 when other members of his group stormed the Capitol. But as the assault unfolded, Tarrio — who had been ordered by a federal judge to leave the District of Columbia stemming from his arrest during a prior protest in the capital — took credit for it online.
“Make no mistake,” he wrote at the time. “We did this.”
The Justice Department charged Tarrio and a handful of other Proud Boys over their effort “to oppose by force the authority of the government of the United States” due to their roles on Jan. 6, the original indictment reads. At least five people, including a police officer and a rioter, died during or soon after the attack. Four additional police officers defending the Capitol that day later died by suicide.
Hearings from the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attack also highlighted Tarrio’s role. Committee members found that he and other Proud Boys were captured on video acknowledging that Trump’s remark about their group at a 2020 presidential debate — that the Proud Boys should “stand back and stand by” — was interpreted by followers as a green light for their actions.
Tarrio previously had served as Florida state director for an independent Latinos for Trump group.
At an inaugural rally on Monday night, Trump did not mention Tarrio by name, but told a crowd that he planned to make good on his promise to pardon people charged in the Jan. 6 riot, referring to them as “hostages.”
“Tonight, I’m gonna be signing on the J6 hostages’ pardons to get them out,” Trump told a crowd at Capitol One Arena. “We’ll be signing pardons for a lot of people. A lot of people.”
The president made the announcement while standing on a stage, in front of the families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
About 30 minutes after Trump left the rally, Tarrio’s mom posted on social media that her son had been released from custody.
“Omg! Lord Thank you!!! TARRIO IS FREE!!!” Zuny Tarrio wrote in a post.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Enrique Tarrio’s mom speaks out about Proud Boys ex-leader’s 22-year prison sentence
Trump said the pardons would become official through an executive order that he would sign at the Oval Office after the rally. Zuny Tarrio’s post came before any executive order had been released to the public.
Sentences commuted for 14 others
In addition to pardoning Tarrio, Trump commuted the prison sentences of 14 defendants convicted of Jan. 6 charges, including a few from Florida. While they will be released from prison, their criminal records will remain intact, unlike a pardon, which expunges a criminal record and restores voting and other rights to the person pardoned.
Among those whose sentences were commuted: Joseph Biggs, 41, of Ormond Beach, the leader of the Volusia County Proud Boys and a member of the group’s Ministry of Self Defense, which spearheaded the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. Biggs was found guilty along with Tarrio and others of seditious conspiracy. Biggs was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Kelly Meggs, who led the Oath Keepers’ Florida chapter, was also convicted of seditious conspiracy along with the group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes. Meggs, 56, of Central Florida, was sentenced to 12 years. Meggs was shown to be active in planning the events of that day in court filings, and led the physical charge into the U.S. Capitol chamber under the alias, “Gator One.”
In his executive order, Trump also directed the U.S. Attorney General to pursue dismissals of all pending indictments stemming from the Jan. 6 assault. More than 300 individuals were still facing charges at the time of Trump’s order.
This story was originally published January 20, 2025 at 8:20 PM.
