List of South Florida January 6 Rioters Pardoned

Florida was a breeding ground for January 6 insurrectionists. Now, they are walking free.

January 21, 2025

Image: Photo of then-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio flipping his middle finger at the photographer.

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio at a rally in Miami in 2021. Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

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Just hours after his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, President Donald Trump pardoned the more than 1,500 people charged in connection to to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The pardons and commuted sentences were extended to members and leaders of far-right groups, along with defendants who assaulted police officers during the attack.

"So this is January 6 and these are the hostages," Trump said inside the Oval Office as he signed the executive order. Approximately 1,500 for pardon. Full pardon."

The president commuted the sentences of 14 defendants affiliated with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes who received an 18-year prison sentence for his role in the insurrection. He also directed the attorney general to dismiss all pending indictments related to January 6.

Miami's very own former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for orchestrating the far-right group's attack at the Capitol, received a full presidential pardon, unlike some of the other far-right leaders in prison. He was serving the longest sentence handed to a January 6 defendant.

Tarrio angled for a pardon almost immediately following Trump's win in November. He is expected back in Miami on Tuesday afternoon following his release from prison Monday night.

"Free At Last!! #Enrique Tarrio #JusticeHasCome," Zuny Tarrio, Enrique Tarrio's mother, wrote on X. "Our America!"

Free At Last!!#EnriqueTarrio #JusticeHasCome

Our America!
— Zuny Tarrio (@ZunyTarrio) January 21, 2025

Approximately 1,583 people were charged criminally in the four years since the insurrection, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Of those defendants, 608 were charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement agents or officers, or obstructing those officers during a civil disorder. One hundred and seventy-four people were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

As Florida became a breeding ground for January 6 participants, here is the list of South Florida defendants expected to receive pardons under Trump's sweeping order.

Barbara Balmaseda — Miami Lakes
Julio Baquero — Hollywood
Bryan Roger Bishop — Marathon
Tonya Bishop — Marathon
Kenneth Bonawitz — Pompano (Proud Boy)
Samuel Pinho Camargo — Deerfield Beach
Julio Cesar Chang — Miami
Richard Cook — Boca Raton
Mason Courson — Tamarac/Weston
Jason Dolan — Wellington (Oath Keeper)
Gilbert Fonticoba — Hialeah (Proud Boy)
Gabriel Garcia — Miami (Proud Boy)
Richard Harris — Hollywood
Sarah Kathleen Holmes — Miami
Joseph LaPoint — Fort Lauderdale
Nicholes Lentz — Boynton Beach
Felipe Marquez — Coral Springs
Romero Moises — Cooper City
Barry Bennett Ramey — Plantation (Proud Boy)
William Rogan Reid — Davie
Jody Lynn Tagaris — West Palm Beach
Enrique Tarrio — Miami (Proud Boy)
Louis Valentin — Hollywood

Naomi Feinstein is a staff writer of Miami New Times where she primarily focuses on news. Naomi started her career with New Times as a summer intern in 2019, then returned as a fellow in August 2022 before joining the staff full-time in February 2023. She graduated from University of Miami where she contributed to the student-run newspaper, the Miami Hurricane. She holds a master’s degree and graduated with honors from the Columbia School of Journalism. In 2021, Naomi was recognized as the College Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists of Florida, and she placed second for Best General News Story in the 2021 Pinnacle Awards.

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