
Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, speaks to Black Lives Matter supporters during a gathering to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of George Floyd in Miami on May 25, 2021. Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui Trinkl/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, will remain jailed ahead of his pending trial related to his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, his lawyer said Tuesday.
Why it matters: Tarrio, who allegedly orchestrated the right-wing extremist group's movements during the breach of the U.S. Capitol, was denied bond by a federal judge. He poses a flight risk and is a possible danger to the community, according to federal prosecutors, the Washington Post reported.
- The Justice Department indicted the leader of the right-wing extremist group with conspiracy earlier this month.
What they're saying: “There is overwhelming evidence that Tarrio organized a plot to corruptly obstruct, influence, and impede the certification of the electoral college vote, an offense that strikes at the heart of our democracy,” assistant U.S. attorney Jason McCullough said in court documents.
- Tarrio's defense attorney, Nayib Hassan, pushed back on the judge's decision, noting his client's legal team could appeal the federal order.
- "At this point in time, we respect the judge's ruling. However, we're respectfully disagreeing and we're going to wait for the judge's order to be released — we expect it to be released today — and then take the appropriate steps we need to take up in D.C. based upon that ruling," Hassan told Axios.
- Hassan insisted that Tarrio wasn't even at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
- "There's no showing that he was actually in the Capitol or made any intrusions into the Capitol Building on Jan. 6," Hassan added.
Go deeper: More than 775 people have been arrested for committing crimes related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol last year, according to the Department of Justice.