Enrique Tarrio, Ex-Leader of the Proud Boys, Released from Prison Following Trump’s Pardons for Jan. 6 Defendants

January 20, 2025 TruthUSA

President Donald Trump has issued pardons for defendants of the Jan. 6 incident and commuted the sentences of several others, with relatives of some confirming their release.

Families have reported via social media that the first group of imprisoned Jan. 6 detainees has been freed following swift pardons by President Donald Trump, who referred to them as “hostages” during his speech after being inaugurated as the 47th president on Jan. 20.

After leaving the Capital One Arena in Washington on Jan. 20, Trump returned to the Oval Office, where he issued pardons to about 1,500 individuals associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, and commuted the sentences of those still incarcerated.

Among those released is Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, who had been sentenced to 22 years in prison connected to the Jan. 6 events, according to his mother.

“Enrique Tarrio is Free! Free At Last!!” his mother, Zuny Tarrio, exclaimed in a post on X. “Thank God Almighty Free At Last!!”

Although Tarrio did not enter the Capitol during the incident, he was convicted of seditious conspiracy. His attorney had requested a pardon from Trump in a letter, characterizing Tarrio as “nothing more than a proud American who believes in true conservative values.”

Trump’s directive provides a full and unconditional pardon to all individuals found guilty of offenses associated with the Jan. 6 incident, excluding 14 individuals who did not receive pardons but had their sentences commuted.

Earlier that day, Trump stated during his speech at the Capital One Arena that he intends to keep his promise regarding the issuance of pardons and commutations.

“Tonight, I’m going to be signing the J6 ‘hostages’ pardons to release them,” Trump declared during the speech. “As soon as I leave, I’m off to the Oval Office to sign pardons for many individuals.”

In a December interview with Time magazine, Trump was posed a question about whether he would pardon all defendants involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol protest and breach.

“I’ll assess each case individually, and if they were non-violent, they have faced significant punishment,” he replied. “And indeed, I will be addressing that, yes—I’m going to examine if there are cases that truly went beyond acceptable behavior.”

He noted that “the vast majority shouldn’t be incarcerated, and they’ve endured tremendously.”

The Jan. 6 protest and riot occurred during the certification process of the 2020 election results.

Supporters of Trump, advocating for audits to investigate alleged election fraud, gathered in Washington for a “Stop the Steal” rally orchestrated by the president. Trump spoke at the Ellipse before the participants marched to the Capitol.

Although Trump called on attendees to protest “peacefully and patriotically,” clashes occurred with police, resulting in some breaching security lines and entering the Capitol building, where Congress had convened to authenticate the election.

Over 1,500 individuals were arrested in relation to the events of Jan. 6, with nearly two-thirds of those sentenced receiving prison time.

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