Proud Boys sentencing hearings cancelled ‘due to emergency’
Federal prison sentencing hearings for former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and prominent member Ethan Nordean have been cancelled due to an unspecified emergency, the US Department of Justice has announced.
It was not immediately clear why the hearings were postponed, though it does not appear to involve the parties.
Tarrio, the former leader of the neo-fascist gang, was scheduled to appear for a sentencing hearing in Washington DC at 10am ET on 30 August after Tarrio and three other members of the group were found guilty of seditious conspiracy earlier this year for their roles in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, among the most serious crimes facing the hundreds of people arrested in connection with the mob’s assault.
Prosecutors are seeking 33 years for Tarrio.
Tarrio, Nordean, Joe Biggs, Dominic Pezzola and Zachary Rehl were also found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding. Four of the men – all but Pezzola – were also found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, civil disorder and destruction of government property.
The jury found Tarrio, Biggs, Nordean and Rehl guilty of seditious conspiracy after conspiring to forcefully oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power.
US District Judge Tim Kelly, who presided over the nearly four-month trial, heard witness impact statements and arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys on 29 August ahead of this week’s sentences.
This is a developing story
