Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the extremist group Proud Boys, has a background as an informant for federal and local law enforcement, working repeatedly in disguise for investigators after being arrested in 2012, according to a former prosecutor and a court transcript. federal 2014 lawsuit obtained by Reuters.
At the Miami hearing, a federal prosecutor, a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and Tarrio’s own lawyer described his undercover work and said he helped authorities prosecute more than a dozen people in various cases involving drugs, gambling and smuggling people.
Tarrio, in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, denied working undercover or cooperating in lawsuits against third parties. “I don’t know any of that,” he said, when asked about the transcript. “I don’t remember any of that.”
Law enforcement officials and the court transcript contradict Tarrio’s denial. In a statement to Reuters, former federal prosecutor in the Tarrio case, Vanessa Singh Johannes, confirmed that “he has cooperated with local and federal security forces to help prosecute those who run other separate criminal companies, ranging from management of marijuana growing houses in Miami to operate pharmaceutical fraud schemes. “
Tarrio, 36, is a prominent figure who organizes and leads the right-wing Proud Boys in their confrontations with those they believe to be antifa, short for “anti-fascism”, an amorphous and often violent left movement. The Proud Boys were involved in the deadly Capitol uprising on January 6.
The records discovered by Reuters are surprising because they show that a leader of a far-right group now under intense scrutiny by law enforcement was previously an active contributor to criminal investigators.
Washington police arrested Tarrio in early January, when he arrived in the city two days before the Capitol riot. He was accused of owning two high-capacity rifle loaders and burning a Black Lives Matter band during a demonstration by supporters of former President Donald Trump in December. The DC higher court ordered him to leave the city pending a hearing in June.
Although Tarrio did not participate in the Capitol uprising, at least five members of the Proud Boys were accused of the mutiny. The FBI said earlier that Tarrio’s previous arrest was an effort to prevent the January 6 events.
The 2014 transcript sheds new light on Tarrio’s previous connections with law enforcement. During the hearing, Tarrio’s prosecutor and defense attorney asked a judge to reduce the prison sentence for Tarrio and two co-defendants. They had pleaded guilty in a fraud case related to the reclassification and sale of stolen diabetes test kits.
The prosecutor said Tarrio’s information led to the trial of 13 people on federal charges in two separate cases and helped local authorities investigate an gambling ring.
Tarrio’s then lawyer, Jeffrey Feiler, said in court that his client had worked undercover in several investigations, one involving the sale of anabolic steroids, another on “wholesale narcotics” and a third aimed at smuggling people. He said Tarrio helped the police discover three marijuana growing houses and was a “prolific” cooperator.
In the case of smuggling, Tarrio, “at his own risk and in a disguised role, met and negotiated the payment of $ 11,000 to members of that gang to bring fictional family members from another country,” said the lawyer in court.
In an interview, Feiler said he did not remember details about the case, but added: “The information I provided to the court was based on information provided to me by the police authorities and the prosecutor.”
An FBI agent at the hearing called Tarrio a “key component” in local police investigations involving marijuana, cocaine and MDMA or ecstasy. The Miami FBI office declined to comment.
There is no evidence that Tarrio has cooperated with the authorities since then. In interviews with Reuters, however, he said that before the rallies in several cities, he would inform police departments of the Proud Boys’ plans. It is not clear whether this was indeed the case. He said he interrupted that coordination after December 12 because DC police had cracked down on the group.
Tarrio acknowledged on Tuesday that his sentence for fraud was reduced from 30 to 16 months, but insisted that leniency was provided only because he and his co-defendants helped investigators “clear up” questions about their own case. He said he never helped to investigate others.
This comment contrasts with statements made in court by the prosecutor, his lawyer and the FBI. The judge in the case, Joan A Lenard, said that Tarrio “provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution of others involved in criminal conduct”.
While Trump supporters defied the Republican’s electoral defeat in many violent demonstrations, Tarrio stood out for his arrogance while leading crowds of mostly white Proud Boys in a series of street clashes and fights in Washington DC, Portland, Oregon and other places.
The Proud Boys, founded in 2016, started as a protest group against the politically correct and perceived restrictions on masculinity. It became a group with different colors of yellow and black that embraced street fighting. In September, their profile skyrocketed when Trump called them to “step back and wait.”
Miami-based Tarrio became the group’s national president in 2018.
In November and December, Tarrio led the Proud Boys through the streets of DC after Trump’s defeat. The video shows him on December 11 with a megaphone in front of a large crowd. “To parasites both in Congress and in that stolen White House,” “he said. “You want a war, you did it!” The crowd roared. The next day, Tarrio burned the BLM track.
Former prosecutor Johannes said he was surprised that the defendant she sued for fraud is now a key player in the violent movement that sought to prevent President Joe Biden’s certification.
“I knew he was a fraudster, but I had no reason to know that he was also a domestic terrorist,” she said. – Reuters