By Aram Roston
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys extremist group, has a past as an informer for federal and local law enforcement, repeatedly working undercover for investigators after he was arrested in 2012, according to a former prosecutor and a transcript of a 2014 federal court proceeding obtained by Reuters.
In the Miami hearing, a federal prosecutor, a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and Tarrioâs own lawyer described his undercover work and said he had helped authorities prosecute more than a dozen people in various cases involving drugs, gambling and human smuggling.
Tarrio, in an interview with Reuters Tuesday, denied working undercover or cooperating in cases against others. âI donât know any of this,â he said, when asked about the transcript. âI donât recall any of this.â
Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Revealed To Be Law Enforcement Informant
The past of Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio has been revealed by
Reuters, with the news organization uncovering court documents that show the member of the extremist group has a history of working as an undercover informant for federal and local law enforcement. The discovery was made through a former prosecutor and the transcript of a 2014 federal court proceeding, which showed Tarrio had been working as an informant since a 2012 arrest.
Tarrio is one of the most well-known members of the Proud Boys, often seen involved in altercations between the right-wing group and what they believe to be members of Antifa, a left-wing anti-fascist movement. The group has come under intense scrutiny from law enforcement after the violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. At least five Proud Boys members have been charged in the riot.
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Sputnik International
January 27, 2021 11:17 a.m.
The leader of the Proud Boys was a “prolific” cooperator with law enforcement following a past brush with federal charges, a report revealed Wednesday.
Enrique Tarrio aided in the prosecution of everything from “running marijuana grow houses in Miami to operating pharmaceutical fraud schemes,” the former federal prosecutor who worked Tarrio’s case told Reuters.
Tarrio, who was himself arrested on Jan. 4 on suspicion of burning a historically Black D.C. church’s Black Lives Matter banner, doesn’t remember a thing.
“I don’t know any of this,” he told Reuters. “I don’t recall any of this.”
By Jordan Williams - 01/27/21 11:55 AM EST
Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was an informant for law enforcement since 2012, according to a transcript of a 2014 court proceeding obtained by Reuters.
The news service reported that a prosecutor, FBI agent and Tarrio’s then-attorney all vouched for his undercover work during a hearing in 2014.
During the hearing, prosecutor Vanessa Singh Johannes said Tarrio’s work led to the prosecution of 13 people on federal charges, and helped local authorities investigate a gambling ring, Reuters noted.
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Tarrio’s lawyer at the time, Jeffrey Feiler, reportedly said his client worked undercover in several investigations, one over the sale of anabolic steroids and another regarding “wholesale prescription narcotics” and a third regarding human smuggling.