Proud Boys leader to remain in jail before Jan. 6 trial, judge rules

A federal judge on Thursday ruled that Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys extremist group, will remain in jail before his trial for conspiracy charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

The ruling from U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis of the Southern District of Florida came after prosecutors argued that Tarrio should remain in jail before his trial because he poses a danger to the community and is a flight risk.

In a court filing, prosecutors said, “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.”

“Under these circumstances, only pretrial detention can protect the community from the danger Tarrio poses,” they added.

Louis said she concurred with the Justice Department’s concerns and recognized the possibility of Tarrio fleeing before his trial, according to CNN.

Defense attorney Nayib Hassan told The Hill in a statement on Tuesday that he and Tarrio plan to litigate the judge’s ruling once the order is filed.

“Although we respect the judges findings, we will review the order once filed and then take the appropriate steps in litigating the matter in D.C.,” Hassan said.

Tarrio and five co-defendants were indicted last week on varied charges, including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The Proud Boys leader was not at the Capitol during the violent attack, but he has been accused of helping the group’s efforts to travel to Washington, D.C., with the plan of preventing the congressional certification of the Electoral College vote.

Court documents also revealed that Tarrio met with Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, who is the subject of a separate case involving seditious conspiracy charges, one day before the Capitol attack. Prosecutors claimed that a documentary film crew was at the meeting.

The federal court in D.C. will oversee proceeding in Tarrio’s case going forward, according to CNN.