Enrique Tarrio, of the Proud Boys, went undercover for the police

Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the extremist group Proud Boys whose members were indicted in connection with the attack on the Capitol on January 6, has already served as an undercover informant for law enforcement, according to a former prosecutor and officials. court records.

Former President Trump drew national attention to the Proud Boys during a debate in September, when he called on them to “step back and stay away.” Tarrio has since raised their profile even further, appearing at pro-Trump protests to challenge federal officials and get arrested in Washington, DC, ahead of the Capitol attack on suspicion of destroying a Black Lives Matter banner in a church.

In a court transcript of Tarrio’s Miami sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges in 2014, a prosecutor, an FBI agent and Tarrio’s attorney said he helped the authorities to prosecute more than a dozen people in cases of drugs, gambling and human trafficking.

At the hearing, Tarrio’s attorney and attorney asked a judge to reduce Tarrio’s sentence for relabelling and selling stolen diabetes test kits. The prosecutor said Tarrio’s information led to the prosecution of 13 people on federal charges in two cases and helped local authorities investigate a gambling ring. At the hearing, an FBI agent called Tarrio a “key component” in local police investigations into marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy.

Tarrio’s attorney, Jeffrey Feiler, told the court that his client had worked undercover in numerous investigations involving human trafficking, the sale of anabolic steroids and “wholesale prescription narcotics.” He said Tarrio also helped police uncover three marijuana grow houses and was a “prolific” cooperator. In the smuggling case, he said, Tarrio, “at his peril, in an undercover role, met and negotiated to pay the members of this ring $ 11,000 to bring in fictitious family members from another country. ”

Arriving at his Miami office on Wednesday, Feiler said, “The representations I made in court were true based on information provided to me by law enforcement and the prosecutor.

“Based on his cooperation, the government brought forward a motion to reduce his sentence,” Feiler said.

Former federal prosecutor in the Tarrio case, Vanessa Singh Johannes, confirmed on Wednesday that “he has been cooperating with local and federal law enforcement to help prosecute those who run other separate criminal enterprises, ranging from running marijuana grow houses in Miami to exploiting pharmaceutical fraud. diets. “

According to court records, the judge in charge of the Tarrio case reduced his sentence from 30 to 16 months, considering that he had “provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution of other persons implicated in criminal acts” .

Tarrio did not return calls or emails on Wednesday. In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, he denied having worked undercover or cooperating in cases against others.

“I don’t remember any of that,” said Tarrio, 36, when asked about the sentencing hearing. “He told Reuters his sentence for fraud was reduced because he helped investigators ‘clarify’ the questions about his own case, not those of others.

Washington police arrested Tarrio two days before the Capitol attack. They accused him of owning two high-capacity rifle magazines and of burning a Black Lives Matter banner during a protest the previous month.

A judge has ordered Tarrio to leave town pending his next hearing in June. Although Tarrio did not join the Capitol Riot, at least five other Proud Boys reportedly did and were charged in the deadly attack.