Proud Boys leader pleads guilty to burning a DC church sign

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On December 12, 2020, a group of proud boys, including Tarrio, stole a sign reading #BLACKLIVESMATTER from the property of the Asbury United Methodist Church. The sign also had the logo and website address of the church, the city’s oldest black Methodist church.

At the intersection of 11th Streets and E NW, several unidentified members of the group crouched down and set the sign on fire with lighter fluid and lighters. Tario took responsibility for burning the sign, posting a photo of him holding an unlit lighter near the sign on social media platform Parler. He also confessed to committing the crime in comments to multiple media outlets.

Tario traveled from Florida back to Washington, D.C. on January 4 – two days before the Capitol Rebellion – where he was arrested for property destruction. When the police searched his book bag at the time of his arrest, they found two high-capacity firearms magazines, both displaying The Proud Boys insignia.

Tario told investigators he was planning to give the firearms magazines to a client who “would also be located in the District of Columbia.”

Several members of the Proud Boyz were indicted for their roles in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. After Tario’s arrest in January, the proud boys turned to new leaders, including Ethan Nordian, a proud leader of the Seattle Boys, who helped coordinate the group’s role in the insurgency, according to detailed files describing the activities of the pro-Trump nationalist group.

In March, prosecutors unveiled new conspiracy charges against four of the group’s leaders, accusing them of a plot to disrupt Congress’ approval of the 2020 election.

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