Exclusive: Proud Boys leader was 'prolific' informer for law enforcement

[babylonsister]

January 27, 2021 9:09 AM Updated an hour ago
Exclusive: Proud Boys leader was ‘prolific’ informer for law enforcement
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 Tarrio’s 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. “I don’t know any of this,” he said, when asked about the transcript. “I don’t recall any of this.”

Law-enforcement officials and the court transcript contradict Tarrio’s denial. 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.”

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. The Proud Boys were involved in the deadly insurrection at the Capitol January 6.

more...

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-proudboys-leader/exclusive-proud-boys-leader-was-prolific-informer-for-law-enforcement-idUSKBN29W1PE

[Kid Berwyn]

1. Ha! Still, he was a crook.

To what level he flipped, probably only NSA can say for sure.

And, now, a traitor (or insurrectionist or seditionist — I really don’t care witch).

[voteearlyvoteoften]

2. That's the White Claw guy

Well let’s hope he has provided lots of good info to take down the insurrectionists!

[Hotler]

3. I don't think the people he snitched on are going to give him a pass for being a racist. nt

[soothsayer]

4. Can you imagine the freak out at PB headquarters after many have found out the leader of Proud Boys

Link to tweet

?s=21


Justin "Rabbit Hole J. Cole" Coleman
@DemopJ
Can you imagine the freak out at PB headquarters after many have found out the leader of Proud Boys was a confidential informant?

[roamer65]

5. There are more informants in their midst.

Money talks, bullshit walks.

PB’s communications are monitored as well.

[jalan48]

6. Curiously, he was arrested just a few days before the January 6th insurrection for burning a BLM

flag. After his release and before the riot took place he was ordered to leave the DC area and was unable to participate in it.

[Lunabell]

7. It's almost as if

somebody didn't want him at the riot.

[jalan48]

8. I had the same feeling. He had a reason he couldn't be there.

[Lunabell]

11. I wonder who ordered his arrest on jan. 5.

FBI, Capitol police? I think he got a "get out of jail free" card, like someone knew exactly what was going to happen on 1-6 and they did nothing to stop it or prepare for it. The violence of 1-6 was planned. They fucking knew it was going to happen and they deliberately failed to protect Congress. I am livid right now.

[jalan48]

12. Yes, they had inside help. What saved us is that they didn't have enough to pull it off. As

another poster noted, if these folks aren't held responsible the events of 1/6 it will have been a training exercise for future attempts.

[dclarston13]

9. Interesting revelation

Many informants are "confidential informants" and exposing then can be a federal crime. So guess either he was not afforded that protection or they thought he did not deserve it, or he was declassified. In which case there are some pretty pissed of people in Miami that would like to have a chat with him. This may be a way of putting more pressure on him to talk, which he will as he is a paid rat. Also this will make sure he never joins the fold again.

[Bucky]

10. I question the judgment of ever, ever revealing someone was a snitch & undercover informant

I know these are generally not nice people. And the journey from "not-nicey" to Nazi ain't far. But...

law enforcement certainly must depend on gaining the trust of an informant, some of whom are very much in danger from the criminals they give evidence against. If you later tell the world about their police connections, won't it make it harder in the future to convince others with damaging info to help out police?

[jalan48]

13. It will cause a lot of internal friction and paranoia within the Proud Boys which will help bring

the group down. Members will be looking at one another with a lot a mistrust.

[Bucky]

14. Macchiavellian power moves aside, I'm just pointing out the long term troubles this creates.

I mean, yes, obviously that's the intent. I'm just saying making short term gains at the cost of long term difficulties is one of the classic causes of world problems today.

[TheBlackAdder]

15. Once an ear, always an ear.