Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys chairman from Miami who was serving 22 years in federal prison after he was convicted of seditious conspiracy in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, was among the defendants in the riot who had their sentences pardoned or commuted by President Donald Trump on Monday. Trump’s action, just hours after his return to the White House, paves the way for the release from prison of people found guilty in the riot. JAN. 6 LATEST news Jan 20 Trump pardons 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters, abandons Biden-era policies An attorney for Tarrio said his client was released from prison hours after Trump’s order. A statement from the family initially said Tarrio was expected to return to Miami on Tuesday, but they later said he’d arrive on Wednesday. “This marks a pivotal moment in our client’s life, and it symbolizes a turning point for our nation,” attorney Nayib Hassan said in a statement. “We are optimistic for the future, as we now turn the page on this chapter, embracing new possibilities and opportunities.” Mother Zuny Tarrio celebrated the news with several posts on X Monday night. “My son has is being released!!!! Omg! Lord thank you!!! TARRIO IS FREE!!!” one post read. “Our President gave my son @NobleOne and all the J6ers their lives back! They can live again! Breathe fresh air again! Feel the sunshine again! @realDonaldTrump saved my son’s life. We are eternally grateful,” read another. My son has is being released!!!! Omg! Lord thank you!!! TARRIO IS FREE!!!— Zuny Tarrio (@ZunyTarrio) January 20, 2025 Hassan had written a letter to Trump earlier this month asking for the pardon for Tarrio after he took office. In the letter, Hassan called the 42-year-old Tarrio a “young man with an aspiring future ahead of him” who was “portrayed throughout the Government’s case as a right-wing extremist that promoted a neo-fascist militant organization” when, Hassan claimed, Tarrio is “nothing more than a proud American that believes in true conservative values.” Tarrio was one of four members of the far-right Proud Boys group found guilty of seditious conspiracy in May 2023. He received 22 years in prison, the longest Jan. 6 sentence to date, though he was not in Washington for the attack itself. He had been arrested and ordered to stay away from the capital city and was convicted of planning and organizing Proud Boys members to assault the Capitol in the lead-up to Jan. 6. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said after their sentencing that Tarrio and his fellow Proud Boys played a “central role” in leading the Jan. 6 mob to breach the Capitol.