(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- The attorney for Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio filed a last-ditch motion on Saturday to reduce his client’s five-month sentence for the burning of a Black Lives Matter flag belonging to a Washington DC church. In his motion, Lucas I. Danise, Tarrio’s attorney, alleged that the judge, Harold Cushenberry Jr., was biased in the case.
Tarrio pleaded guilty in July to setting fire to a Black Lives Matter flag he had taken down from Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington DC back in December, 2020. He was arrested on January 4 and pleaded guilty to the charges of destruction of property and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.
In the appeal, Tarrio’s attorney requested that Judge Cushenberry recuse himself from the case because he previously attended the Asbury United Methodist Church and his oldest daughter was baptized there.
The appeal alleges that Cushenberry had previously said he would be “perfectly willing” to recuse himself if Tarrio was concerned about a possible conflict of interest. Tarrio’s attorney asked for a different judge to reconsider and “substantially reduce” the sentence which was imposed on August 23.
During the sentencing hearing, Tarrio apologized for making such a “grave mistake.” He said that he knew what he did was wrong.
Tarrio’s attorney Danise said in the filing that Tarrio did not know that the church owned the BLM flag. He also alleged that Tarrio was denied due process as the government provided “ambiguous” evidence that showed Tarrio knew that the banner belonged to this church.
Danise argued that his client’s sentence is “unreasonably harsh and disproportionate when taking into account the goals of sentencing.”
In the end, nothing changed. On Monday, Tarrio reported to DC Corrections to begin serving his five month prison sentence.
As he was reporting to jail, Tarrio was interviewed by WUSA-9 reporter Eric Flack. His responses were not what the reporter expected.
I asked #ProudBoys Chairman Enrique Tarrio if he had anything to say to the members of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Northwest DC, the historically black church from which Tarrio admitted to stealing a BLM banner and burning it.
WARNING EXPLICIT LANGUAGE #CapitolRiots pic.twitter.com/DN1UWppYoL— Eric Flack (@EricFlackTV) September 7, 2021
In maybe his most surprising statement before walking into the DC Jail, Enrique Tarrio says the #ProudBoys will NOT be at the J6 protest over pre-trial detention of some #CaptiolRiot defendants – planned for September 18 in DC. pic.twitter.com/ULSsjgtYnj
— Eric Flack (@EricFlackTV) September 7, 2021
In related news, the person who set fire to the historical St. John’s Church in DC during last year’s Black Lives Matter riots is still at large.
