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- Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio and one co-defendant were due to be sentenced Wednesday for their roles in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
- But the hearing was abruptly canceled at the last minute.
- Prosecutors were seeking 33 years behind bars for Tarrio, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges in May.
A sentencing hearing for former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio and Ethan Nordean, a leader from Washington State, was abruptly canceled on Wednesday.
Initially, the Justice Department issued a statement that the cancelation was due to an emergency, but the United States Marshals Service later clarified to Insider that it was because the judge assigned to the case was out sick.
"Due to an emergency, the court is not proceeding today with sentencings in the Proud Boy cases," the Justice Department first said.
Defense lawyers also received a text at 8:38 a.m. from court officials saying that due to an "emergency," the two defendants would not be sentenced on Wednesday.
"This was not from the DOJ," said a source involved in the case, who asked to speak anonymously because they were not authorized to comment. "It was court initiated. There was no explanation. All we know is that at this point, nothing is going to happen today."
Prosecutors were seeking 33 years behind bars for Tarrio, the former leader to the extremist group. He was convicted in May of seditious conspiracy and other charges related to his role in the deadly January 6 Capitol riot.
An unrelated case also scheduled for Wednesday before US District Judge Timothy Kelly, the judge who would have sentenced Tarrio and Nordean, was also cancelled.
"No emergency – Judge Kelly out sick," a spokesman for the US Marshals told Insider three hours after the cancellation.
Judge Kelly is expecting to be out sick only briefly.
Two previously scheduled sentencings remain on his docket for Thursday, for Tarrio co-defendants Joseph Biggs, a regional leader from Ormond Beach, Florida, and Zachary Rehl, who headed the Proud Boys' Philadelphia chapter. Nordean's sentencing has been moved from Wednesday to Friday.
The four were convicted in May for their roles in the plot to attack the US Capitol to obstruct Congress' certification of President Joe Biden's election win and to keep Donald Trump in power.
Editor's note: This story was updated to include the reason for the hearing being cancelled.