Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio pleads not guilty to Capitol riot charges
Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio has pleaded not guilty to charges that he remotely led a plot to stop Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges that he remotely led a plot to stop Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.
Though he wasn’t at the Capitol during the 6 January 2021, riot, prosecutors say Mr Tarrio organized encrypted chats with Proud Boys members in the weeks before the attack, had a 42-second phone call with another member of the group in the building during the insurrection and took credit for the chaos at the Capitol.
Police had arrested Mr Tarrio in Washington two days before the riot and charged him with vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church during a protest in December 2020. The day before the Capitol was attacked, a judge ordered Mr Tarrio to stay out of Washington.
Mr Tarrio’s indictment said that instead of staying out of town, he met with Oath Keepers founder and leader Elmer “Stewart” Rhodes and others in an underground parking garage for about 30 minutes on 5 January.
His lawyers have said the evidence against Mr Tarrio was weak and relies mostly on text messages and social media.
A judge has postponed the 18 May trial for Mr Tarrio and five others affiliated with the far-right group.
Prosecutors sought the postponement to give them more time to assess and share with opposing lawyers new information gathered in the investigation. Some defendants in the case agreed with the postponement request.
A new trial date is expected to be picked during a 21 April hearing.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.