From Informant to Insurrection: The Unbelievable Tale of Enrique Tarrio

Christian Baghai
2 min readMar 27, 2024

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Hey there! So, you want the scoop on Enrique Tarrio, huh? Well, buckle up, because this guy’s story is a wild ride from informant to extremist.

Let’s start with his days as an informant. Back in 2012, Tarrio got nabbed and decided to sing like a canary to the feds. He was involved in all sorts of undercover gigs, from busting drug rings to gambling joints and even human smuggling operations. His work was so good that it helped put more than a dozen folks behind bars. Talk about a plot twist, right?

Fast forward to the not-so-distant past, and Tarrio’s wearing a whole new hat — that of the Proud Boys’ big boss. Now, these guys are known for their far-right shenanigans and getting into brawls with anyone they think smells like antifa. But here’s where it gets spicy: Tarrio and his Proud Boys were neck-deep in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Even though Tarrio wasn’t physically there, he was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

The justice hammer came down hard, and Tarrio, along with some of his top lieutenants, got slapped with seditious conspiracy charges. That’s legal speak for plotting to overthrow the government or interfere with its laws. And guess what? The jury said, “You’re guilty!” So now, Tarrio’s looking at some serious time behind bars, up to 20 years, to be exact.

It’s a tale of two lives, really. On one hand, you’ve got Tarrio the informant, helping the law take down bad guys. On the other, there’s Tarrio the Proud Boy, rallying his troops for some not-so-legal activities. It’s like he flipped a switch and went from playing for Team Law to Team Chaos.

So there you have it, the strange and twisted journey of Enrique Tarrio. From a fed’s best friend to a convicted seditious conspirator. Life’s weird like that sometimes, isn’t it?

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Christian Baghai
Christian Baghai

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