Proud Boys Turned Down Plea Deals, Got Twice the Prison Time

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio declined a plea deal before going to trial, and the gamble failed miserably when the 39-year-old was sentenced on Wednesday to twice the prison time he would have received under the agreement. In October 2022, prosecutors offered Tarrio a jail term of nine to 11 years in exchange for a guilty plea, according to a court filing made public on Wednesday. After taking his chances at trial, a judge sentenced him this week to 22 years. Four other members of the far-right gang turned down similarly sweet deals, the filing shows: Ethan Nordean got 18 years rather than the six to eight years he was offered; Joe Biggs got 17 years as opposed to six to eight; Zachary Rehl was sentenced to 15 years instead of six to seven; and Dominic Pezzola got a full decade behind bars when he could have been out in four to five.