The leader of the Proud Boys was sentenced to 17 years in prison

The Timing of the Jan. 6 riot: Pfaffians — Foot Soldiers of the Right unleashed to undo the results of a democratic election

The former chairman of the Proud Boys could be sentenced to the most severe penalty the government has ever handed out for his role in the Capitol attack.

The most severe sentence doled out to Jan. 6 rioters so far is 18 years given to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. He was similarly convicted of seditious conspiracy in a separate case in May.

Tarrio’s codefendants and fellow Proud Boys will also be sentenced later this week.

In May, five people were convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes. Pezzola was found guilty of robbing government property but was acquitted of that charge.

Tarrio and Biggs, a former military member, worked for the conspiracy siteInfoWars, and the DOJ wanted 33 years for them. They sought a separate 30-year sentence for Rehl, 27 years for Nordean and 20 years for Pezzola.

According to court documents, prosecutors applied a terrorism enhancement, which resulted in longer prison terms for their crimes. The enhancement is justified by the fact that it captures the seriousness of the defendants’ criminal agreement and the danger they pose on January 6.

“The defendants embraced their role in getting a’revolution’ and understood the stakes.” They unleashed a force on the Capitol that was calculated to exert their political will on elected officials by force and to undo the results of a democratic election,” prosecutors said in their filing submitted earlier this month. “The foot soldiers of the right aimed to keep their leader in power. They didn’t succeed. They are not heroes; they are criminals.”

Tarrio’s attorney said he wasn’t in contact with any members of the organization during the riot and pointed to Nordean and Biggs as being the orchestrators of the riot. Further, they said, “Participating in a plan for the Proud Boys to protest on January 6 is not the same as directing others on the ground to storm the Capitol by any means necessary.”

Tarrio was banned from the city after setting fire to a Black Lives Matter banner in Washington, D.C., which was stolen from a church.

A First Look at a Jan. 6, 2021, Markov Jandi riot in the U.S. Capitol: Judge Timothy J. Kelly’s Pronouncement

Ahead of the three days of sentencing hearings, the four defendants sat in court Tuesday to hear victim impact statements and to hash out final details of the case in front of the federal judge.

Among those in person to share their impact statements were two law enforcement officers who fought back against a number of Jan. 6 rioters in an effort to defend the Capitol and members of Congress.

Five men dressed in prison clothes sat at the same table while an officer from the Capitol Police and an officer from the FBI spoke to the court.

As a crowd of people poured into the West Plaza of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Cooney confronted them, but they ignored her commands to stop.

She said she and her colleagues were beaten by people who claimed they supported law enforcement. She and her fellow officers were later devastated to learn that a friend she worked with died and that other officers later died by suicide.

He got emotional when he spoke about the courage of the officers who fought back during the riot and then came back ready to work.

The crowd in front of the U.S. Capitol was so enamored with their leader that they “succumbed” to him. “Curiosity got the better of me and I will regret that for the rest of my life.”

Before being sentenced, Biggs begged for forgiveness and leniency. He downplayed his role in the riots and said that he had plans to step back from the Proud Boys.

Judge Kelly chose to apply that enhancement to one of Biggs’ charges regarding his role in the destruction of a fence surrounding the U.S. Capitol building which, once gone, no longer kept the mob back from law enforcement protecting the building.

Judge Timothy J. Kelly also sentenced Biggs to three years of supervised release and a ban on any interactions with organizations that advocate violence against the government.

He cried as he begged Kelly to allow him to be present for his young daughter, who he said was molested by a family member and is now in the care of his mother.