Where is Enrique Tarrio from? Ethnicity explored as Proud Boys leader is found guilty of seditious conspiracy

Convicted felon and former president of Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy against the United States on Thursday, May 4, 2023, by a federal jury in a Washington, D.C. courthouse. Tarrio, along with three of his subordinates, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Joseph Biggs, were also convicted for their role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol Attack.

Seditious conspiracy refers to an attempt by two or more people to overthrow or put down the US government. According to Reuters, they were charged with "conspiring to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden and using force and prior planning to hinder the 2020 presidential election certification."

Enrique Tarrio was a proud member and leader of Proud Boys, a white nationalist and far-right group comprised solely of men, They are known to promote political violence and proliferate anti-Muslim, anti-Semite, and misogynistic rhetoric. Tarino took over the organization's Florida Chapter in 2018 after its founder, Gavin McInnes, stepped down.

Enrique Tarrio hails from Miami, Florida, and was raised in a Cuban household. He previously used his Cuban-American heritage to refute claims that Proud Boys was a white supremacist organization. In 2020 he told Insider:

"I’m pretty brown. I am Cuban. There’s nothing white supremacist about me..."

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Enrique Tarrio was not present at the Capitol during the infamous riots

Enrique Tarrio and Proud Boys had empty supported Donald Trump, with the former "working tirelessly" and "personally knocking 40,000 doors" to win him votes.

According to the New York Times, although the 38-year-old was not present at the 2021 Capitol Riots, he was involved in the conspiracy and gave orders to other members to dress inconspicuously when they showed up at the Capitol. Court documents show he was arrested a day before on unrelated charges.

Enrique Tarrio at a Trump rally (image via Getty Images)

A December 2022 statement by the Department of Justice reads:

"Tarrio nonetheless continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and that he claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attck."

According to France 24, before his arrest, Tarrio posted on social media that Prod Boys would have an "unprecedented" presence in Washinton.

Prosecutors presented several of his social media posts to the court. One stated, "NoTrump... No Peace. No Quarter" just after the elections, while another stated "Make no mistake, we did this" during the riots. Just before the January 6 riots, he posted:

"Let's bring this new year in with one word in mind: revolt."

In addition to the four men, a fifth defendant, Dominic Pezzola, was charged with other serious felonies after much deliberation.

The trial began on January 12, 2023. After hearing from several witnesses over three months, the jury also convicted the five men of other serious felonies, including obstructing official proceedings, aiding and abetting, and destruction of government property.

Enrique Tarrio's defense attorney, Nayib Hassan, frequently blamed former president Donald Trump for the riots stating that he motivated his client and was using him as a "scapegoat."

The charges add to up to 20 years in prison. However, Enrique Tarrio's court date for his final sentence is yet to be announced.