Enrique Tarrio, leader of the far-right extremist group the “Proud Boys” has been convicted of burning a Black Lives Matter banner and for bringing firearm magazines into Washington days before the January 6 Capitol riots. He has since been sentenced to more than five months in jail.
The BLM flag that Tarrio burned was not just a random flag—it was reportedly torn down from the Asbury United Methodist Church, a known Black church, and was burned in the same area on December 12.
Tarrio took a picture of himself with a lighter and posted it online, and days later had confessed to joining in on the burning.
Rev. Dr. Ianther R. Mills, the pastor of the church, said that the violent act was fueled with intimidation and racism and may have caused irrevocable damage to their community.
The Proud Boys Leader was arrested on January 4 upon returning to the state capital where he was found with two firearm magazines that were banned in DC.
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During his hearing, Tarrio said that he was sorry for his actions and said that what he did was wrong. However, the court was unconvinced of his apology.
The judge rejected Tarrio’s claim that he wasn’t aware that the flag was church property despite evidence showing that he was in fact, there when the banner was stolen.
The judge said that Tarrio “cared about himself and self-promotion” and his claims that the burning was an innocent mistake were “not credible” at all.
Tarrio pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors, including the burning of church property and the carrying of high-capacity artillery into DC.
Despite thinking that the punishment was fair, Tarrio was also noted saying that the situation has caused suffering to himself and his family.
“My family’s business has been hit pretty hard. What I did does not only affect the church. It affects a lot more people, including my family,” he said.
Records show that this wasn’t the first time Tarrio was entangled in criminal acts. He previously pleaded guilty to destruction of property and attempted possession of an ammunition feeding device. He was also revealed to have been indicted on fraud charges in 2012.
Authorities probe more into Tarrio’s history as well as other members of the Proud Boys and different extremist groups for potential hate crimes, but there were no reported charges of hate crimes were filed against Tarrio.
