Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right street fighting group the Proud Boys, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol — the longest sentence dealt yet to anyone involved.
It’s a stark reminder of the legal peril former President Donald Trump faces in the federal case surrounding his own role in the insurrection. But because Trump’s case is a different beast, involving different legal questions, it’s not necessarily a signal that the former president will be convicted or face similar prison time.
Tarrio was convicted of the most serious charge levied in the January 6 cases: seditious conspiracy, which is defined as a plot involving two or more people “to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States … or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States.” Other members of the Proud Boys, as well as another far-right extremist militia group, the Oath Keepers, have also been previously convicted on the charge.
More than 1,100 people have been charged in connection to the insurrection so far. They have been sentenced to a total of around 600 years in prison as of August 25, according to a Vox analysis of Department of Justice data. That data doesn’t include Tarrio’s sentence, which came down Tuesday, or the sentences of those who will serve out their time at home or in intermittent confinement. More than 100 individuals have been sentenced to at least two years in prison; 27 to more than five years.
Trump, for his part, is also facing potential prison time for his involvement in January 6. The federal government has charged him with four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The former president could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the…
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