Enrique Tarrio, born in 1983 or 1984 in Miami, Florida, to Cuban immigrant parents of Afro-Cuban ethnicity, was raised Catholic in the Little Havana neighborhood and dropped out of high school. He founded and owned multiple companies in the security, surveillance, and GPS tracking industries, operates the 1776 Shop selling right-wing apparel, and received federal PPP loans during COVID-19. Prior to leading the Proud Boys, he served as Florida state director for Latinos for Trump and acted as a cooperating informant for federal and local law enforcement from 2012 to 2014, aiding prosecutions in cases involving anabolic steroids, gambling, human smuggling, and marijuana operations. His legal history includes: a 2004 conviction for theft with community service, probation, and restitution; a 2012-2013 indictment for fraudulently reselling stolen diabetic test strips, resulting in 30 months federal prison (16 months served) after cooperation; and 2020-2021 arrests for destroying a Black Lives Matter banner and possessing illegal ammunition, leading to a guilty plea, 155 days jail (about 4 months served), and a $1,036,626.78 civil judgment. As former national chairman of the Proud Boys, he was convicted in 2023 of seditious conspiracy for orchestrating the group's role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack—the longest sentence (22 years) among January 6 defendants, including a terrorism enhancement—but was pardoned by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, released on January 22, 2025, and returned to Miami. Post-release, he was arrested at CPAC in February 2025 for allegedly striking a female protester (no charges filed), dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on May 3, 2025, and attended a January 6 fifth anniversary commemoration at the Capitol on January 6, 2026. Personally, he is divorced from a brief marriage in his 20s; his mother, Zuny Duarte, publicly advocated for his pardon. Active on social media as @EnriqueTarrio_ on X (Twitter) and @enriquetarrio on Instagram.