Ex-Proud Boys Leader Walks Free

The former leader of the far-right group the Proud Boys is out of prison following a blanket pardon from President Trump. Enrique Tarrio, who was serving a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy related to the 2021 Capitol riot, was freed from federal prison in Louisiana, reports the AP. Also freed was Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was serving an 18-year-term. He and Tarrio were perhaps the two highest-profile Jan. 6 defendants.

Tarrio was due to arrive back in Miami at 6:30pm Tuesday, a family statement reads, per CBS News and the New York Times. The 42-year-old Miami native, who admitted to destroying church property in Washington, DC, on Dec. 12, 2020, wasn't in the city on Jan. 6, but he was found guilty of organizing and directing a mob. Prosecutors also accused him of "promoting political violence in general," per the Independent.

His release "marks a pivotal moment in our client's life, and it symbolizes a turning point for our nation," said Tarrio's attorney, Nayib Hassan, per CBS. Trump issued pardons on Monday for more than 1,500 people criminally charged in connection with the Jan. 6 assault, calling them "hostages." Tarrio had personally requested a Trump pardon. (More Enrique Tarrio stories.)