WASHINGTON – A South Florida man who federal authorities say was a member of the far-right Proud Boys organization was sentenced to spend a year in federal prison Friday after being convicted for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
Gabriel Augustin Garcia, 43, of Miami, will also spend two years on supervisory release and will have to pay $2,000 in restitution after being convicted on two felony counts of of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.
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Garcia, authorities said, was a member of the Vice City Proud Boys and an associate of Enrique Tarrio, a South Florida man considered to be the group’s ringleader. Tarrio, now 41, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the riot, launched by supporters of then-president, and now President-Elect Donald Trump in an effort to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Authorities said Garcia joined a mob that unlawfully entered the Capitol and filmed himself doing so, at one point, referring to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying, “Nancy, come out and play!”
“Almost 45 minutes after entering the Capitol building, Garcia joined a group of rioters who were collectively attempting to push through a line of officers who were guarding a doorway,” a U.S. Department of Justice news release states.
Federal agents arrested him on Jan. 19, 2021.
Trump has hinted that he may pardon Tarrio and other Jan. 6 rioters after he returns to office in January, sparking a rare condemnation from a judge that he nominated.