The 12 Longest Sentences for January 6th... So Far

     Enrique Tarrio is the person outside of the Trump White House most responsible for the events on the January 6th insurrection. The leader of the far-right Proud Boys, he was responsible for directing the army of over 100 Proud Boys from his hotel room in Baltimore, earning a conviction for seditious conspiracy and a 22-year prison sentence.

     Ethan Nordean was the on-the-ground leader for the Proud Boys on January 6th and had a yearslong history of street-level violence in the Pacific Northwest that ended with a seditious conspiracy conviction and 18-year prison sentence.

     Stewart Rhodes was the leader of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group that advocated for civil war to achieve an extremist vision of limited government. He was convicted of seditious conspiracy for organizing a group of dozens of his followers to breach the Capitol and stockpile weapons in a nearby hotel, and he, too, was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

     Joseph Biggs, the head of the Florida Proud Boys and an associate of Alex Jones who spent years advocating for violence against people of color and LGBT2SQIA+ individuals, was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges and sentenced to 17 years in prison for leading the Proud Boys contingent in their march to the Capitol, helping to remove barricades holding back the mob, and making his way into the Senate chamber.

     Zachary Rehl, the leader of the Philadelphia Proud Boys, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for seditious conspiracy after he marched with Biggs and Nordean to the Capitol, allegedly pepper sprayed a police officer, and smoked inside the Capitol with his fellow Philly Proud Boys members; his role in the former capacity included displaying flyers falsely accusing left-wing activists of being registered sex offenders, something he got away with as the son of a police officer.

     Peter Schwartz got the longest prison sentence of anyone who was not convicted of seditious conspiracy, and he deserved an even longer sentence. Schwartz has dozens of criminal convictions dating back 40 years, and he was convicted at trial of assaulting law enforcement with pepper spray and a wooden tire thumper and sentenced to 170 months (14 years and two months) in prison.

     Daniel Rodriguez of California organized an online group of his fellow SoCal right-wing extremists to breach the Capitol on January 6th, sending hundreds of messages about war and revolution. He most notably tazed Officer Michael Fanone, but he also sprayed officers with a fire extinguisher, joined the heave-ho push in the Lower West Terrace tunnel, and shoved a long wooden pole at officers. He entered the trashed office of an Idaho senator, rifled through documents, kicked an office door in an attempt to open it, and then stole several items. He pleaded guilty to four felonies and was sentenced to 151 months (12 years and seven months) in prison and nearly $100,000 in fines, fees, and restitution.

     Kelly Meggs was the leader of the Florida Oath Keepers and second-in-command to Stewart Rhodes as it related to January 6th. He was the leader of the stack formation that breached the Capitol and was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found guilty of seditious conspiracy.

     Alan Hostetter was a former California police chief  turned yoga instructor and anti-vaccine activist who organized a group of Three Percenters militia members to block Congress from certifying the 2020 election while wearing military gear and armed with a hatchet and other weapons. After mounting an unsuccessful sovereign citizen-like defense in court, he was convicted of four felonies and sentenced to 135 months (11.25 years) in prison.

     Thomas Webster was a decorated Afghan veteran and NYPD officer who served on Mayor Bloomberg's security detail before January 6th, when he packed a firearm, meal ready kits, and body armor in his vehicle; entered the restricted grounds of the Capitol; swung a flagpole at police so hard that it shattered; tackled an officer; and pulled on his head in an attempt to gouge his eyes, choking him. After a trial in which he blamed the officer he assaulted, he was convicted of five felonies and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

     Dominic Pezzola was a lower-level Proud Boys member found with explosive-making instructions on his computer who assaulted a law enforcement officer, robbed them of their shield, and used the shield to break the window of the Senate Wing of the Capitol, allowing hundreds of other defendants to stream into the building. He was convicted of a plethora of felonies but acquitted of seditious conspiracy, so he earned a relatively-lenient 10-year prison sentence compared to the higher-ranking Proud Boys defendants.

     Christopher Worrell was a Florida Proud Boy convicted of six felonies and a misdemeanor for traveling to the Capitol with a two-way radio to communicate with other rioters before pepper spraying law enforcement officers. Initially held pending trial, he was released because of a broken finger and a cancer diagnosis that were allegedly not receiving proper attention in jail. After lying during his trial and repeatedly violating his release conditions, he removed his ankle monitor and went on the run. When the police attempted to arrest him, he faked an overdose to further delay his sentencing. He ultimately received 10 years in prison, and he could face further charges for escape and obstruction of justice.