Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio revealed as former ‘prolific’ undercover informant for the FBI

Enrique Tarrio, the high-profile chairman of the far-right extremist group, The Proud Boys, was once a "prolific" informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to a new report published by Reuters. Tarrio's work with the bureau reportedly aided in the arrests and prosecution of more than one dozen of individuals in a multitude of cases, including "drugs, gambling, and human smuggling,"

On Tuesday, Jan. 26, he denied reports about his previous work with the bureau saying, "I don't know any of this. I don't recall any of this." But, transcripts documenting his work suggest otherwise.

Vanessa Singh Johannes, a former U.S. prosecutor in one of the cases Tarrio was involved in, released a statement to the publication confirming "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."

During a previous drug smuggling case, Tarrio's former lawyer Jeffrey Feiler revealed he, "at his own risk, in an undercover role met and negotiated to pay $11,000 to members of that ring to bring in fictitious family members of his from another country."

The revelation was made public during a recent hearing between Tarrio's lawyer, a U.S. prosecutor, and an unnamed FBI agent. Reuters notes the leader of the "far-right group now under intense scrutiny by law enforcement was previously an active collaborator with criminal investigators."

Shortly after his arrival in the nation's capitol two days before the "Save America" rally and the Capitol insurrection, Tarrio was arrested for "possessing two high-capacity rifle magazines, and burning a Black Lives Matter banner during a December demonstration by supporters of former President Donald Trump."