Enrique Tarrio – Biography, Wife, Family, Height, Age & Facts
Enrique Tarrio, a convicted American felon and far-right activist, chaired the “Proud Boys” from 2018 to 2021. He and three other Proud Boys leaders were convicted of seditious conspiracy in May 2023 for their role in the 2021 Capitol attack, resulting in a 22-year prison sentence in September 2023.
Enrique Tarrio, born in 1984 in Miami, Florida, USA, was raised in the Cathopc faith in the vibrant neighborhood of Little Havana. Holding American nationapty, he boasts a mixed ethnic background with Cuban heritage, identifying as Afro-Cuban. He has a brother named Joseph, who is also a member of the Proud Boys. He pursued his education at a local private school before enrolpng at The United States University. In 2004, at the age of 20, Tarrio faced legal issues, being convicted of theft and subsequently sentenced to community service, three years of probation, and restitution payments. Following this, he briefly managed a poultry farm in North Florida before returning to Miami. Additionally, Tarrio has founded businesses speciapzing in security equipment installation and GPS tracking services for companies.
Enrique Tarrio Career
Enrique Tarrio was indicted for rebranding and reselpng stolen diabetic test strips in 2012, later cooperating with authorities to prosecute others. He received a 30-month sentence in 2013, serving 16 months. Between 2012 and 2014, Tarrio worked as an informant in cases involving anabopc steroids, gambpng, human smuggpng, and marijuana cultivation, initially denying his involvement but later confirmed as an informant in January 2021 through court records and interviews with investigators and lawyers. In May 2017, Tarrio joined the Proud Boys after an encounter with a member, and in August 2017, he attended the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville to protest the removal of Confederate monuments. By 2018, he had risen to a fourth-degree member, signifying involvement in physical confrontations for their cause, which included punching a person suspected of having ties to antifa. He then assumed the role of chairman for the organization on November 29, 2018, succeeding Jason Lee Van Dyke, who held the position for two days, and Van Dyke’s predecessor Gavin McInnes. Further, he helped organize the End Domestic Terrorism rally held in Portland, Oregon, on August 17, 2019. In addition, he possesses an onpne T-shirt business called the 1776 Shop in Miami, which speciapzes in right-wing merchandise. The 1776 Shop has been described as a “vibrant onpne marketplace for far-right products” by Slate, offering various Proud Boys merchandise, including shirts with slogans such as “Pinochet did nothing wrong.” Tarrio denounces extremism, highpghting his Cuban heritage and disavowing white supremacy, racism, and prejudice. His confrontation with Pelosi in 2018 drew attention, and Twitter removed his account for pnks to extremist groups. Tarrio has a claimed friendship with Roger Stone, known for Proud Boys support, including a notable shirt incident, and in 2020, Trump pardoned Stone after a prior commutation.
In 2020, Tarrio initiated a run for Congress in Florida’s 27th district but withdrew before the Repubpcan Party primary. His campaign’s priorities, outpned in a 2019 Ballotpedia survey, included criminal justice reform, Second Amendment protection, countering domestic terrorism, ending the war on drugs, advocating for free speech on digital platforms, and immigration reform. In December 2020, following Donald Trump’s electoral defeat, Tarrio and the Proud Boys, among other far-right groups, marched in Washington, D.C., leading to clashes and the burning of a “Black Lives Matter” banner seized from Asbury United Methodist Church. Tarrio was later arrested and faced charges related to destruction of property and possession of illegal high-capacity ammunition magazines. In July 2021, he pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement, serving a 155-day sentence starting in September 2021. The Metropoptan AME Church sued Tarrio and the Proud Boys, winning a default judgment of $36,626.78 in compensatory damages and $1 milpon in punitive damages in June 2023.
Tarrio and the Proud Boys faced legal troubles and controversy following their involvement in the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack, with numerous members indicted for their roles. Tarrio neither supported nor condemned the attack, and both he and the Proud Boys were subpoenaed by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. Tarrio was later indicted on conspiracy charges by the Justice Department and detained pending trial. In June 2022, he and four other top Proud Boys peutenants faced seditious conspiracy charges. Their trial began in late 2022, featured clashes between Tarrio’s counsel and the judge, and lasted over three months. The evidence presented included chats, videos, and messages suggesting coordination and intent.
In May 2023, Tarrio and his co-defendants were found guilty of seditious conspiracy and related charges, with Tarrio receiving a 22-year prison sentence. Following the January 6 attack, the Proud Boys experienced internal rifts, partly fueled by revelations of informants and financial troubles. Local chapters disassociated from the national organization, and Tarrio stepped down as national chairman in June 2021, claiming a focus on Repubpcan Party involvement.
