Far-right leader Proud Boys was sentenced to more than five months in prison Monday after admitting he burned a Black Lives Matter banner from a historic black church in Washington during a pro-Trump demonstration in December.
Henry Tarrio, known to his followers as Enrique, was arrested on January 4 in Washington in connection with the December 12 incident. The Proud Boys and other groups staged a raucous rally downtown. The banner was stolen from Asbury United Methodist Church, one of the oldest black churches in Washington.
Tarrio, 37, from Miami, also pleaded guilty to attempting to own a high-capacity firearms magazine, which is illegal in Washington. Investigators said the man had the stores with him when he returned to the city on January 6 to protest against the congressional vote count.
The maximum penalty for both charges was up to six months in prison.
Federal prosecutors recommended that Tarrio be sentenced to 90 days in prison, followed by three months' probation and an order barring him from returning to Washington. They said that his poster burning «had a profound emotional and psychological impact on the church and its members» and that he openly boasted about it, saying on social media, «I'm damn proud of what I did!»
On Monday, Tarrio told the judge that he made a «serious mistake» when he burned the flag.
«I deeply apologize. I didn't realize the consequences of what I did.»
Supreme Court Justice Harold Cushenberg noted that Tarrio «did not show credible sincere remorse» and sentenced him to a total of 155 days in prison.
September 6th Tarrio is to turn himself in to a Washington DC prison.
