Ex-Miami Proud Boy Gabriel Garcia Sentenced for January 6 Insurrection

Former Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee member and ex-Proud Boy Gabriel Garcia was sentenced to a year in prison for his actions during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The 43-year-old was convicted of two felony charges of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. In addition to his prison sentence, Garcia must serve two years of supervised release and pay $2,000 in restitution.

During the riot, Garcia recorded himself on Facebook inside the Capitol building, taunting then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and calling police "Fucking traitors."

"You ain't gonna hold a million back today," Garcia yelled at officers. "How does it feel being a traitor to the country?"

As he advanced further into the building, he yelled, "Nancy, come out and play!" Nearly an hour after he entering the Capitol, Garcia joined a group of riots trying to push through officers guarding a doorway. But they were ultimately unsuccessful and Garcia was removed from the building about an hour after entering.

Garcia previously served as the chapter leader of Miami's Vice City Proud Boys formed by former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio, who, in September 2023, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his part in the U.S. Capitol breach.

Leading up to January 6, Tarrio selected Garcia to participate in the "national rally planning chapter" of the group dubbed the "Ministry of Self Defense" (MOSD). He participated in the MOSD's Telegram chat, where Garcia discussed his violent plans for January 6.

Three days before the insurrection, his colorful messages included "1776 flag flying over the White House last night" and "Time to stack those bodies in front of Capitol Hill."

The FBI arrested Garcia, who has since claimed to have left the far-right group, on January 19, 2021.

While awaiting trial, Garcia traveled across the country on several occasions. He hiked in Arizona, participated in a spiritual retreat for January 6 defendants in Missouri, and hobnobbed with one-time U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland. He even took photos aboard Donald Trump's private jet.

The former U.S. Army captain is not the only Miami Proud Boy sentenced to prison related to the January 6 riot. In addition to former chairman Tarrio, Gilbert Fonticoba, who was also a member of the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee, was convicted of two felonies and sentenced to four years in prison in January.