The sentencing for Enrique Tarrio, the former chair of the Proud Boys, was postponed unexpectedly on Wednesday morning "due to an emergency," according to the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C.
Tarrio, who was convicted of a rare seditious conspiracy charge in May for his involvement in organizing a large group for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, is expected to receive a lengthy prison sentence that could span decades after the government recommended he receive 33 years.
It is unclear what the emergency was and when the sentencing will be rescheduled. Because U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is overseeing the case and another case of his was postponed on Wednesday, it appeared possible the scheduling issue related to the judge or his staff rather than the defendants.
Four co-defendants in the case, who are also Proud Boys leaders, are also set to receive what is expected to be yearslong sentences this week.
On Tuesday, the defendants sat together in the D.C. courtroom clad in orange jumpsuits as they listened to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly weigh sentencing guidelines and whether to apply "terrorist enhancements" in his calculation.
Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences that, if granted, would surpass the longest sentence of the roughly 600 handed out so far. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes holds the current record after receiving 18 years in May.
Four of the five defendants were found guilty in May of seditious conspiracy, a rare charge established during the Civil War, as well as conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, one of the same charges former President Donald Trump is now facing for his alleged illegal efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
All five were found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding, destruction of federal property, and interference with police during a civil disorder, among other charges.
Tarrio, the former national chairman of the Proud Boys who was not physically in the nation's capital on January 6, had been heavily involved in organizing a large group for the riot but was arrested and ordered to leave D.C. a couple of days prior to it for burning a Black Lives Matter flag and carrying two large capacity magazines, according to his indictment.
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Court records reveal that during the riot, Tarrio shared messages to his tens of thousands of followers on the social media platform Parler that included telling those at the Capitol not to leave and calling them "revolutionaries." He shared a photo of apparently scared lawmakers hiding. In the days after, he posted messages that included "I'm not denouncing st" and "fk the system" in all capital letters.