Let’s see how proud his boys will be once they hear this news! Reuters has reported that Proud Boys founder Enrique Tarrio has been an informant for federal and local law enforcement in the past.
After he was arrested in 2012, Tarrio had repeatedly been working undercover for investigators, according to a former prosecutor and a transcript of a 2014 federal court proceeding that was obtained by Reuters.
In a recent interview with Reuters, the Proud Boys founder has denied working undercover or cooperating in cases against others. “I don’t know any of this,” he said when questioned about the transcript. “I don’t recall any of this.”
The former federal prosecutor in Tarrio’s case, Vanessa Singh Johannes, has confirmed to Reuters that “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.”
The 2014 transcript shows Tarrio’s past connections to law enforcement. Based on the transcripts, the prosecutor and Tarrio’s defense attorney asked a judge for a reduction of the prison sentence of Tarrio and two co-defendants. They had pleaded guilty in a fraud case related to the relabeling and sale of stolen diabetes test kits.
The prosecutor said Tarrio’s information had led to the prosecution of 13 people on federal charges in two separate cases, and had helped local authorities investigate a gambling ring.
Earlier this year, the Proud Boys leader was arrested in Washington, D.C., for his role in burning a Black Lives Matter banner at a Black church.
When Tarrio appeared on a “WarBoys” podcast interview, he took responsibility for the banner burning and stated he was “the person that went ahead and put the lighter to it and engulfed it in flames. I’m damn proud I did,” he said.
He also wrote in a post on the Parler website that “against the wishes of my attorney I am here today to admit that I am the person responsible for the burning of this sign.” Tarrio also dared police officers to arrest him, writing: “Come get me if you feel like what I did was wrong. We’ll let the public decide.”