PROUD BOYS LEADER INFORMANT SERIES

In September their profile soared when Trump called on them to “Stand back and stand by.” It grew into a group with distinctive colors of yellow and black that embraced street fighting. The Proud Boys, founded in 2016, began as a group protesting political correctness and perceived constraints on masculinity.

PROUD BOYS LEADER INFORMANT SERIES

Lenard, said Tarrio “provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution of other persons involved in criminal conduct.”Īs Trump supporters challenged the Republican’s election loss in often violent demonstrations, Tarrio stood out for his swagger as he led crowds of mostly white Proud Boys in a series of confrontations and street brawls in Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere. That comment contrasts with statements made in court by the prosecutor, his lawyer and the FBI. He said he never helped investigate others. Tarrio on Tuesday acknowledged that his fraud sentence was reduced, from 30 months to 16 months, but insisted that leniency was provided only because he and his co-defendants helped investigators “clear up” questions about his own case. He said he stopped this coordination after December 12 because the D.C. It is unclear if this was actually the case. In interviews with Reuters, however, he said that before rallies in various cities, he would let police departments know of the Proud Boys’ plans. There is no evidence Tarrio has cooperated with authorities since then. In an interview, Feiler said he did not recall details about the case but added, “The information I provided to the court was based on information provided to me by law enforcement and the prosecutor.”Īn FBI agent at the hearing called Tarrio a “key component” in local police investigations involving marijuana, cocaine and MDMA, or ecstasy. In the smuggling case, 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,” the lawyer said in court. He said Tarrio helped police uncover three marijuana grow houses, and was a “prolific” cooperator. Tarrio’s then-lawyer Jeffrey Feiler said in court that his client had worked undercover in numerous investigations, one involving the sale of anabolic steroids, another regarding “wholesale prescription narcotics” and a third targeting human smuggling. 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. They had pleaded guilty in a fraud case related to the relabeling and sale of stolen diabetes test kits. During the hearing, the prosecutor and Tarrio’s defense attorney asked a judge to reduce the prison sentence of Tarrio and two co-defendants. The transcript from 2014 shines a new light on Tarrio’s past connections to law enforcement. The FBI previously said Tarrio’s earlier arrest was an effort to preempt the events of January 6. Though Tarrio did not take part in the Capitol insurrection, at least five Proud Boys members have been charged in the riot. Superior Court ordered him to leave the city pending a court date in June. He was charged with possessing two high-capacity rifle magazines, and burning a Black Lives Matter banner during a December demonstration by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Washington police arrested Tarrio in early January when he arrived in the city two days before the Capitol Hill riot. The records uncovered by Reuters are startling because they show that a leader of a far-right group now under intense scrutiny by law enforcement was previously an active collaborator with criminal investigators. The Proud Boys were involved in the deadly insurrection at the Capitol January 6. Tarrio, 36, is a high-profile 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 leftist movement. In a statement to Reuters, the former federal prosecutor in Tarrio’s case, Vanessa Singh Johannes, confirmed 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.” Law-enforcement officials and the court transcript contradict Tarrio’s denial.

Proud boys leader informant