Memorable 2023 moment: Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio begged judge, "Don't take my 40s from me!"

There were many moments we will never forget from 2023. And hearing Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys beg a judge to take pity on him, is one we won't forget any time soon!

Enrique Tarrio, the former chairman of the far-right organization the Proud Boys, was sentenced to 22 years in prison on September 5, 2023, for his role in organizing the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

According to CNN, Tarrio was charged with "seditious conspiracy and leading a failed plot to prevent the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden."

Enrique Tarrio received 22 years despite not being in Washington the day of the riot; however, he was heavily involved in the organization and planning for the attack on the Capitol.

District Judge Timothy Kelly gave Enrique Tarrio the most severe sentencing so far for those involved in the US Capitol attack. Last week, Ethan Nordean, also a Proud Boy, was given 18 years behind bars for his involvement in the Capitol Riot.

The BBC reported that Tarrio's lawyers, Nayib Hassan and Sabino Jauregui, tried to water down the former Proud Boys leader's involvement in the attack on the Capitol in the hopes of a more lenient sentencing.

Sabino Jauregui told the judge on September 5 that his client was a "keyboard ninja" and "misguided patriot" who tended to "talk trash", but had no intention of overthrowing the government."

According to several media outlets, before his sentencing, Enrique Tarrio was seen wiping tears from his eyes while his mother pleaded for leniency for her son.

Tarrio also addressed the court and asked the police and residents of Washington for forgiveness for his actions, saying, "I am extremely ashamed and disappointed that they were caused grief and suffering. I will have to live with that shame for the rest of my life."

Tarrio continued, "I was my own worst enemy. My hubris convinced me that I was a victim and targeted unfairly." He then went on to deny any intention of attempting to change the election results and asked Judge Kelly to "Please show me mercy. I ask you that you not take my 40s from me."

Per CNN, at the end of the three-hour hearing, Judge Kelly said, "Mr Tarrio was the ultimate leader, the ultimate person who organized, who was motivated by revolutionary zeal." Kelly added he felt that Enrique Tarrio had shown "no remorse."

In a trial that lasted several months, prosecutors provided plenty of evidence that demonstrated that Enrique Tarrio was instrumental in creating the Proud Boys command structure prior to the January 6 attack.

Prosecutors showed that the system that Tarrio created made it clear to the members of the Proud Boys how they needed to work and what their roles should be during high-profile protests.

In addition, prosecutors demonstrated how Tarrio gave his support to his fellow Proud Boys during the riot despite not being in Washington. Tarrio celebrated the group's advances on January 6 online and maintained communication with his co-defendants who were on-site during the attack.

Tarrio had been arrested before the riot at the Capitol on a warrant for burning a Black Lives Matter flag, which was why he did not attend.

During the January 6 attack on the Capitol in Washington D.C., the Proud Boys led the angry mob of Trump supporters who could not accept that he had lost to Biden past police barricades.

Members of the group were seen breaking windows so that rioters could enter the Capitol, which eventually halted the official certification of the 2020 election results.

The Proud Boys have proudly called themselves Donald Trump's foot soldiers, and according to CNN, Trump has promised all those facing legal issues due to the January 6 attack on the Capitol that he will personally pardon them if he wins the 2024 presidential elections.