MADRID, 18 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Prosecutors from the United States Department of Justice have requested a 33-year prison sentence for Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the ultranationalist formation Proud Boys, convicted of conspiracy to commit treason in the context of the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
If this sentence is finally declared, it will be the longest sentence declared since the beginning of the macro-investigation into the assault carried out by supporters of former President Donald Trump, practically double that received by Stewart Rhodes, the founder of another ultra group, the Oath Keepers, sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Tarrio, who was not present during the assault although he is considered a ‘remote mastermind’ of the assault, was one of the main targets of the Justice Department’s investigation as the leader of this group considered “neofascist”, which “unleashed a force against the Capitol to impose their political will and undo the results of a democratic election,” according to the prosecutor’s brief collected by CBS.
Prosecutors are also asking for 33 years in prison for self-proclaimed Proud Boys organizer Joseph Biggs; another 30 years in prison for the organization’s Philadelphia chapter president, Zachary Rehl; 27 years for another leader of the group, identified as Ethan Nordean and 20 years for a member of the organization, Dominic Pezzola.
The defense argues, on the contrary, that this request by the Prosecutor’s Office is too extreme and understands that all of them acted “following the orders of the commander in chief of the United States Army”, in reference to Trump who, shortly before the assault, called his supporters to “fight tooth and nail” against the electoral result.
“The defendants are not terrorists. Regardless of the excess of zeal shown on January 6, 2021, more than a decade behind bars is excessive punishment,” they indicate.
