6 May 18-24, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | THE VERDICT IS IN The rise and fall of Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN M iami’s favorite hometown in- surrectionist is heading back to the clink. On May 4, former Proud Boys leader and Miami native Enrique Tarrio and four of his comrades were found guilty of a slew of federal charges in connection with the January 6, 2021 as- sault on the U.S. Capitol. Although Tarrio was not in attendance at the riot owing to his arrest two days earlier for burning a stolen Black Lives Matter flag, prosecutors accused him of orchestrating the attack and directing high-ranking Proud Boy members who called themselves the “Minis- try of Self Defense” in their siege of Capitol Hill. Tarrio, along with Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl, were convicted of seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to ob- struct an official proceeding. A fifth defen- dant, Dominic Pezzola, known for shattering a Capitol building window, was acquitted of a seditious conspiracy charge but convicted of other charges, including robbery of govern- ment property and assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer. Tarrio is no stranger to a prison cell, hav- ing served sentences for a 2012 scheme to re- sell stolen diabetic medical supplies and for burning that Black Lives Matter banner from a D.C. church. This time around, he faces 20 years in fed- eral prison, accused of spearheading a his- toric assault on the heart of the U.S. government after refusing to accept the re- sults of the 2020 election. From his days chainsmoking Malboros near his family home in the Miami commu- nity of Flagami to his darkest hours cleaning up human feces in a federal jail cell in 2022, New Times has been covering Tarrio’s jour- ney into the national spotlight since the get- go. His rise paralleled the country’s descent into political unrest and violence as the Proud Boys, under his wing, established itself as the unofficial militia of the far right during Don- ald Trump’s presidency. Over the years, New Times has spent hours chatting with Tarrio, tooling around Miami and interviewing him at his family’s home as he dealt with looming jail time for previous criminal charges. A portrait emerged of a man who seemed amicable and mild-mannered but beneath the surface was fomenting civil discord while fashioning himself as a revolu- tionary. Humble Beginnings Tarrio was born in Miami, a first-generation American son of Cuban immigrants. He grew up skateboarding near the local laundromat and venturing out in small fishing boats around the Blue Lagoon south of Miami In- ternational Airport. He was raised among Catholic, conservative family members, some of whom were Cuban exiles and reserved a strong disdain for leftist politics. An avid gamer as a teenager, he told New Times he attended the now-defunct Il Savior Academy in Sunset before dropping out in 11th grade. His parents divorced when he was young but raised him together. His mom described him as a spoiled but generous kid. “He would give away things that we gave him. He still shares everything,” she told New Times. Tarrio claimed he fell in with the wrong crowd in his mid-teenage years. One of his first major brushes with the law was when he was arrested for stealing a motorcycle around age 20. Sticky Fingers The Miami native was charged in 2013 in fed- eral court in a scheme to sell stolen diabetic test strips. After his arrest, he reportedly worked as an informant and helped the feds build cases against multiple defendants. He had his prison sentence cut nearly in half, to sixteen months. A law enforcement agent told the court that Tarrio helped locate illegal gambling op- erations, while his attorney touted Tarrio’s role assisting in cases involving a marijuana grow-house and narcotics sales. Following his release from prison, Tarrio started two businesses, one installing security equipment and the other using GPS tracking for businesses, he told New Times. Proud Boys Rising Tarrio joined the Proud Boys’ Miami chapter when it was a burgeoning group with a rela- tively small membership. At the time, the Proud Boys were still headed by founder Gavin McInnes, a Vice Media chief turned provocateur who described his brainchild as a fraternal organization that preaches West- ern pride and abhors racial guilt. “I kind of liked Gavin McInnes,” Tarrio told New Times. “I do think conservatism is what’s going to save America.” Tarrio attended the 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right event, among other high-pro- file rallies, and participated in the group’s clashes with leftist protesters around the country. His refusal to shy away from con- frontation helped him rise through the ranks and obtain Proud Boys’ highest designation as a “fourth-degree” member. “Tarrio achieved that rating in Portland this past June, after he punched an Antifa protester who threw a shrapnel-covered fire- work into the crowd, which landed at his feet, video shows,” New Times reported in a De- cember 2018 profile. In October 2018, an event at the Metropolitan Republican Club in Manhattan featured McInnes as speaker, drawing protests and incidents of vandalism at the property. Several Proud Boys who beat up a group of protesters were charged with instigating a riot and attempted assault. The resulting controversy prompted McInnes to announce he was stepping down as head of the Proud Boys. Tarrio became the new face of the Proud Boys after being selected as chairman of the organization in late 2018. Busy Bee Under Tarrio’s leadership, the Proud Boys’ notoriety ballooned as it gained a reputation as a far-right outfit committed to confronta- tions with Antifa and leftist protesters. Though many of its high-ranking members were booted off social media for hate speech violations, they continued to recruit members nationwide. The group’s willingness to engage in vio- lent clashes appeared to be galvanized by statements from McInnes. “Violence doesn’t feel good. Justified vio- lence feels great, and fighting solves every- thing. I want violence. I want punching in the face,” he said in February 2017 in regards to a clash between Antifa and the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys hosted gatherings coast to coast in 2019, from the Demand Free Speech Rally in D.C., featuring Laura Loomer and Enrique Tarrio was found guilty of federal charges in connection with the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg | METRO |
