While there is no evidence that he has cooperated with federal authorities since his Miami hearing, the timing of his arrest makes one wonder if he was still working with the FBI.Īdditionally, the documents discovered by Reuters shed light on the fact that the leader of the Proud Boys group has repeatedly said in interviews he would never let police know of Proud Boys' plans, but he may have been collaborating with criminal investigators on multiple occasions in the past. It's interesting how convenient it was that he was arrested before other serious crimes took place. Tarrio was charged with possessing two high-capacity rifle magazines and burning a Black Lives Matter banner during a protest in December. 6, by Washington police, at least five Proud Boys members were charged in the riot. 4, two days before the Capitol riot on Jan. "Īs a violent Trump supporter, Tarrio organized protests and other events and encouraged a "war" after Trump lost the election last year. "But I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing. Instead of denouncing white supremacy as he was asked to do, Trump gave the group orders: "Proud Boys: Stand back and stand by," he said. The group began gaining further national attention after Donald Trump mentioned the hate group during a presidential debate. Tarrio gained public attention after becoming the national chairman for the Proud Boys in 2018. "He cooperated with local and federal law enforcement, to aid in the prosecution of those running other, separate criminal enterprises, ranging from running marijuana grow houses in Miami to operating pharmaceutical fraud schemes," prosecutor Vanessa Singh Johannes confirmed to Reuters. Oddly enough, not only do the court transcripts contradict Tarrio's denial, but so do statements from the federal prosecutor. In regards to a smuggling case, Jeffrey Feiler, Tarrio's attorney, said that Tarrio, "at his own risk, in an undercover role met and negotiated to pay $11,000 to members of that ring to bring in fictitious family members of his from another country. While Tarrio acknowledged the reduction in his sentence from 30 months to 16 months, he insisted it was made because he and his co-defendants cleared up questions about their own case. "I don't recall any of this."Īccording to the transcript, both the prosecutor and Tarrio's defense attorney requested a reduction in Tarrio's prison statement due to his involvement as an informant. "I don't know any of this," he said, referring to what was shared in the transcript. However, in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, Tarrio denied working undercover and providing information on others. A federal court proceeding transcript from 2014, obtained by the outlet, found that Tarrio had been working undercover for investigators since his arrest in 2012.ĭuring the Miami hearing, a federal prosecutor, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, and Tarrio's lawyer detailed Tarrio's undercover work and claimed he had helped authorities prosecute at least 13 people in multiple cases involving drugs, gambling, and human smuggling. In a weird turn of events, Enrique Tarrio, a chairman for the extremist organization Proud Boys, who organized a massive event in Portland, Oregon, last year, has a past as an informer for federal and local law enforcement, Reuters reported.
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