Enrique Tarrio: From Local Activist to Convicted Seditious Conspiracy
Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, born in 1983 or 1984, is an American far-right activist. He served as the chairman of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist organization known for promoting and engaging in political violence, from 2018 to 2021. In May 2023, Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his involvement in the 2021 United States Capitol attack, along with three other Proud Boys leaders.
Early Life and Background
Tarrio is Afro-Cuban. He was also the Florida state director of Latinos for Trump, a grassroots organization.
Early Criminal Convictions and Legal Issues
In 2004, at the age of 20, Tarrio was convicted of theft. His sentence included community service, three years of probation, and an order to pay restitution.
In 2012, Tarrio faced indictment for his role in a scheme involving the rebranding and resale of stolen diabetic test strips.
Informant Activity
Between 2012 and 2014, Tarrio served as an informant for both federal and local law enforcement. His lawyer stated in a 2014 federal court hearing that Tarrio was a "prolific" cooperator. He assisted the government in investigating and prosecuting over twelve individuals in cases related to anabolic steroids, gambling, and human smuggling. Tarrio also helped identify three "grow houses" used for marijuana cultivation and repeatedly worked undercover to aid investigations.
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Political Aspirations and Activities
Tarrio ran for Congress for Florida's 27th district in 2020 but withdrew before the Republican Party primary.
After Donald Trump's defeat in the November 2020 election, Tarrio and the Proud Boys participated in a march in Washington, D.C., on December 12, 2020, alongside other far-right groups. Clashes erupted between Trump supporters and opponents, resulting in the stabbing of four people.
Arrest and Conviction for Property Destruction
Following the December 2020 march, a warrant was issued for Tarrio's arrest, and he was subsequently taken into custody by D.C. police.
In July 2021, Tarrio pleaded guilty to destruction of property and a misdemeanor count of attempted possession of a high-capacity magazine as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Felony counts were dropped. Tarrio acknowledged burning a Black Lives Matter banner but denied that the act was a hate crime.
During his sentencing hearing in August 2021, Tarrio apologized for his actions, stating that he made a "grave mistake." However, the D.C. Superior Court judge found his claim that he did not fully realize what he was doing "not credible," citing video evidence that contradicted some of Tarrio's claims. Tarrio was sentenced to 155 days in the D.C. Jail, exceeding the 90 days requested by federal prosecutors. He began serving his sentence on September 6, 2021. A request for early release in November 2021, based on poor living conditions in the D.C. Jail, was denied.
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Civil Lawsuit and Financial Troubles
The Metropolitan AME Church, one of the historically Black congregations targeted in December 2020, sued Tarrio and the Texas-based Proud Boys International LLC. The church brought claims of civil conspiracy, defacement of private property, trespass, and destruction of religious property under D.C. law. In June 2023, D.C. Superior Court Judge Neal E. Kravitz ordered Tarrio and other prominent members of the Proud Boys to pay over a million dollars in damages.
Financial troubles have also contributed to the Proud Boys' decline.
Seditious Conspiracy Conviction
Tarrio was indicted in D.C. on conspiracy charges related to the January 6 Capitol attack. Jury selection for the trial of Tarrio and four co-defendants (Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola) began on December 19, 2022, after US District Judge Timothy J. Kelly denied their motions for dismissal and change of venue.
The trial lasted more than three months and included testimony from dozens of witnesses. Evidence presented against Tarrio and his co-defendants included videos, thousands of messages on encrypted group chats among Proud Boys leadership, and public messages on Parler from before and on January 6. The chats showed that Tarrio, stationed in a Baltimore hotel room, encouraged the Proud Boys as they attacked the Capitol.
Tarrio chose not to testify in his own defense. A key prosecution witness was former Proud Boy Jeremy Bertino, a former lieutenant of Tarrio who pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and cooperated with the government after the January 6 attack.
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Views on Extremism and Ethnicity
Tarrio has stated, "I denounce white supremacy. I denounce anti-Semitism. I denounce racism. I denounce fascism. I denounce communism and any other -ism that is prejudiced towards people because of their race, religion, culture, tone of skin." Regarding his own ethnicity, he has said, "I'm pretty brown, I'm Cuban."
Proud Boys: Ideology, Violence, and Political Involvement
The Proud Boys are a right-wing extremist group with a history of violence, targeted harassment, and intimidation. It serves as a tent for misogynistic, anti-immigrant, Islamophobic, and anti-LGBTQ+ ideologies, including antisemitism and white supremacy. The group played an integral role in the January 6 insurrection, organizing and leading participants during the attack on the Capitol.
To achieve fourth-degree status, a Proud Boy must “engage in a major conflict for the cause,” which could either comprise a “serious physical fight” or an arrest. These members are also required to refrain from masturbation, a common right-wing extremist “restriction” that is meant to teach discipline and guard against men “wasting” their testosterone.
During President Trump’s first term, Proud Boys were regulars at far-right demonstrations, Trump rallies and Republican events, forging ties with the Republican political establishment and at times acting as a volunteer security force for activists, politicians and members of Trump’s camp. They also dabbled in associations with white supremacist groups and events.
Proud Boys After January 6
In the aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack, several chapters of the Proud Boys organization split with the national group. The revelation in late January 2021 that Tarrio had been an informant to federal and local law enforcement between 2012 and 2014 contributed to rifts within the group. The revelation that some Proud Boys had turned into FBI informants also led members to panic.
Since the January 6 attack, the resulting breakdown of the Proud Boys’ national leadership structure and intense legal scrutiny has prompted more localized, somewhat autonomous Proud Boys chapters operating in their immediate area with little inter-chapter organization.
In recent years, the group has largely focused on opposing COVID-19 safety measures, targeting school board meetings with anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-critical race theory (CRT) rhetoric and protesting LGBTQ+ events. The power vacuum at the national level has also contributed to ideological inconsistency across some Proud Boy elements and chapters, and a rise of racist, antisemitic, and white supremacist rhetoric.
Meeting with Donald Trump
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was pardoned by Donald Trump for his conviction related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, said he met with the president over the weekend in Florida.
Tarrio posted about the meeting on his X account Sunday morning. “Yesterday, I had the honor of meeting the President of the United States, a moment I never could have imagined in my darkest days,” Tarrio wrote.
In other posts, he said he was at Mar-a-Lago, the president’s club, and that he had a “great conversation” with the president after Trump called him and his mother over during dinner.
Neither the White House nor Tarrio responded to messages seeking comment about the meeting.
A senior administration official told The New York Times that Tarrio and his mother were at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach at the invitation of a guest and were introduced to Trump as he was walking to the patio.
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