Federal prosecutors have recommended that two top leaders of the far-right Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio and Joseph Biggs, be sentenced to 33 years in prison for their involvement in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. This marks the harshest penalty requested thus far in the extensive investigation into the events of that day. Prosecutors are seeking to increase their sentences through a "terrorism enhancement," claiming that the defendants understood the gravity of their actions and sought to overturn the results of a democratic election.

The prosecutors argue that Tarrio and Biggs, as well as the other defendants in the case - Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean, and Dominic Pezzola - played significant roles in the attack. They allege that these individuals led the assault on the Capitol and contributed to four key breach points within the first 80 minutes of the riot. The prosecutors assert that no other group of defendants had a larger impact on the events of January 6.

In addition to Tarrio and Biggs, the prosecutors are seeking tough sentences for the other defendants as well. They are requesting 30 years for Rehl, the former president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia, 27 years for Nordean, who ran a Proud Boys chapter in Seattle, and 20 years for Pezzola, a new recruit to the group from Rochester, N.Y. The majority of these defendants were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, a charge rarely used that requires proving the use of force to oppose the authority of the federal government.

Previously, the longest sentence requested in a January 6-related case was the 25-year term for Stewart Rhodes, the founder of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers militia. Rhodes was ultimately sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The defense attorneys for the Proud Boys defendants argue that the proposed sentences are excessive. They emphasize that the chaos and violence of January 6 were fueled by former President Donald Trump's false election claims and assert that the defendants were simply heeding his call. They contend that this should be taken into consideration as a mitigating factor.

These sentencing requests come as part of the ongoing investigation into the events of January 6, which has become the largest in U.S. history. The defendants, including Tarrio and his co-conspirators, are scheduled to be sentenced at the end of August in the same courthouse where former President Trump recently pleaded not guilty to charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the election results.