Former Proud Boys Leader Indicted in Jan. 6 Investigation
Prosecutors say Enrique Tarrio issued orders for the Proud Boys before the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.Credit...Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A federal grand jury charged Enrique Tarrio with conspiracy in the Capitol attack last year, making him the second leader of a far-right group to face charges in the past several months.
by Alan Feuer
Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, has been charged with conspiring with other top lieutenants of the far-right nationalist group to attack the Capitol last year, according to an indictment set to be released on Tuesday by federal prosecutors.
The indictment of Mr. Tarrio was the latest step in the Jan. 6 investigation and the second time in recent months that charges had been filed against a leader of a far-right extremist group that took part in the Capitol attack. In January, prosecutors charged Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers militia, with seditious conspiracy for what the government has described as a plot to violently disrupt the work of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.
Mr. Tarrio was not in Washington on Jan. 6, having been arrested two days earlier for having vandalized a Black Lives Matter banner at a Black church in the city after a pro-Trump rally in December 2020. Mr. Tarrio, who was also charged at the time with carrying two high-capacity rifle magazines, was ordered to leave Washington by a local judge as part of his release agreement.
But prosecutors say that he issued orders before the attack on the Capitol for members of the group to be dressed “incognito” when they arrived in Washington on Jan. 6. He also took part in a private Telegram group chat as several leaders and members of the Proud Boys stormed the Capitol.
Mr. Tarrio’s lawyer, J. Daniel Hull, declined to comment on the charges, saying he was waiting to see the government’s indictment.