Proud Boys leader who burned BLM flag gets 5 months in jail

The person of the Proud Boys extremist radical was sentenced to much than 5 months successful jailhouse connected Monday for burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historical Black religion successful downtown Washington and bringing 2 high-capacity firearm magazines into the nation's superior days soon earlier the Jan. 6 riot.

Enrique Tarrio told the tribunal helium was “profusely” atrocious for his actions, calling them a “grave mistake.”

“What I did was wrong,” Tarrio said during the proceeding held via videoconference.

Tarrio was arrested arsenic helium arrived successful Washington 2 days earlier thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump — including members of the Proud Boys — descended connected the U.S. Capitol and disrupted the certification of the Electoral College vote. Tarrio was ordered to enactment distant from Washington, and instrumentality enforcement aboriginal said Tarrio was picked up successful portion to assistance quell imaginable violence.

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Authorities accidental Proud Boys members stole the banner that work #BLACKLIVESMATTER from the Asbury United Methodist Church connected Dec. 12 and past acceptable it ablaze utilizing lighter fluid and lighters. Tarrio posted a representation of himself holding an unlit lighter to his Parler relationship and admitted days aboriginal successful an interrogation with The Washington Post that helium joined successful the burning of the banner.

Rev. Dr. Ianther Mills, elder pastor of the church, told the justice it was an “act of intimidation and racism" that caused “immeasurable and perchance irreparable harm” connected the community.

“His careless enactment of unit and hatred, targeted astatine a congregation of individuals with a lived past of societal and radical injustice, had the presumably desired effect," she said. “Asbury was forced to reckon with the precise tangible grounds that we proceed to unrecorded successful a satellite wherever radical radicalize hatred based upon contention and tegument color."

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When constabulary pulled Tarrio implicit connected Jan. 4 connected the warrant for vandalizing the sign, officers recovered 2 unloaded magazines emblazoned with the Proud Boys logo successful his bag. Tarrio said, according to a constabulary report, that helium sells the clips and the ones helium was carrying were purchased by a customer.

Tarrio pleaded blameworthy past period to demolition of spot and attempted possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.

A constabulary spokesperson told The Associated Press successful December that investigators were probing the events arsenic imaginable hatred crimes, but nary hatred transgression charges were filed against Tarrio.

Proud Boys members picture themselves arsenic a politically incorrect men’s nine for “Western chauvinists.” Its members often person engaged successful thoroughfare fights with antifascist activists astatine rallies and protests.

Authorities person narrowed successful connected the Proud Boys and different extremist groups, similar the Oath Keepers, successful their probe into the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol that sent lawmakers moving and injured dozens of instrumentality enforcement officers.

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Nearly 600 radical person been charged successful the Capitol insurrection, but immoderate of the astir superior charges — involving accusations of readying to artifact the certification of the ballot — person been filed against members of the extremist groups.

About 3 twelve radical charged person been identified by national authorities arsenic Proud Boys leaders, members oregon associates. In 1 case, 4 radical leaders person been charged with conspiring to impede the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. Tarrio hasn’t been charged successful the Capitol attack.

It was revealed successful tribunal records precocious that Tarrio had worked undercover and cooperated with investigators aft helium was accused of fraud successful 2012. After Tarrio’s 2012 indictment for participating successful a strategy involving the resale of diabetic trial strips, helium helped the authorities prosecute much than a twelve different people, the records show.

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