Enrique Tarrio, Former Proud Boys Leader, Freed From Prison After Trump Pardons Jan. 6 Defendants

Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, then leader of The Proud Boys, holds a U.S. flag during a protest showing support for Cubans demonstrating against their government, in Miami, Florida on July 16, 2021. Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images

The first of the jailed Jan. 6 detainees have been released from prison, according to family member posts on social media, after President Donald Trump took swift action on pardons of what he called Jan. 6 “hostages” in a speech following his Jan. 20 inauguration as the 47th president.

After departing the Capital One Arena in Washington on Jan. 20, Trump returned to the Oval Office, where he issued pardons for approximately 1,500 individuals connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach and commuted the sentences of those still serving time.

One of those already freed from prisons is Enrique Tarrio, former leader of the Proud Boys group, who was facing a 22-year prison term related to the Jan. 6 incident, according to his mother.

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

Tarrio, who did not enter the Capitol on Jan. 6, was convicted of seditious conspiracy. His lawyer asked Trump for a pardon in a letter, in which he called Tarrio “nothing more than a proud American that believes in true conservative values.”

Trump’s order grants a full and unconditional pardon to all individuals convicted of offenses related to the Jan. 6 incident, with the exception of 14 individuals who did not receive a pardon but have had their sentences commuted.

Earlier in the day, Trump said during a speech at the Capital One Arena that he would make good on his promise to issue the pardons and commutations.

“Tonight, I’m going to be signing on the J6 ‘hostages’ pardons to get them out,” Trump said during the speech. “As soon as I leave, I’m going to the Oval Office and will be signing pardons for a lot of people.”

In a December interview with Time magazine, Trump was asked whether he would pardon all defendants facing charges in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol protest and breach.

“I’m going to do case-by-case, and if they were non-violent, I think they’ve been greatly punished,” he said. “And the answer is I will be doing that, yeah, I’m going to look if there’s some that really were out of control.”

He said that a “vast majority should not be in jail, and they’ve suffered gravely.”

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

Trump supporters, seeking audits to address accusations that the outcome of the election was illegitimate due to claims of election fraud, had gathered in Washington for a “Stop the Steal” rally organized by the president. Trump delivered a speech at the Ellipse before attendees marched to the Capitol.

While Trump called for people to demonstrate “peacefully and patriotically,” some clashed with police, broke through security lines, and forced their way into the Capitol building, where Congress had convened to certify the election.

More than 1,500 people were arrested in connection with the events of Jan. 6, with nearly two-thirds of those sentenced receiving prison time.