Former Proud Boys member was hired to work at Miami polling station until it surfaced he is awaiting trial for Jan. 6, report says
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Sophia Ankel
Nov 1, 2022, 21:15 IST
Members of the Proud Boys rally in New York City on November 20, 2021.Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
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A former Proud Boys member was approved as a Miami poll worker, reports say.
Gabriel Garcia was then dismissed after it came out he was charged over the Capitol riot.
A former member of the far-right Proud Boys group was scheduled to work at a Miami polling station until officials learned he is awaiting trial over the Capitol riot, the Miami Herald reported on Monday.
Earlier this month, Gabriel Garcia, of Miami, Florida, was listed as a poll worker for the upcoming midterm election in Miami-Dade County, the Miami New Times first reported, citing the county's database.
Garcia, a former Army captain, told the outlet that he left the Proud boys in April.
He celebrated his new job opportunity in a Telegram video, the report said.
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"That's right, you heard it right, I'm working the poll. Cry some more, liberals. Enjoy your day!" Garcia, who was wearing a "Fuck Biden" baseball cap, reportedly said in the video.
But Garcia was removed from the schedule after officials learned that he was charged over the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, the county told the Herald.
Suzy Trutie, Miami-Dade's deputy supervisor of elections, told the Herald: "The Supervisor of Elections learned about Mr. Garcia's indictment [on October 11] and made the decision not to assign him to work on Election Day."
Garcia has been charged with six federal charges for participating in the insurrection on January 6, 2021. He is wearing an ankle monitor as he awaits trial, the Herald reported.
Garcia told the Herald that he would have kept the elections "fair" if he was a poll worker, but did not mention no longer being scheduled to work.
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A spokesperson for Miami-Dade County did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
The Herald reported that two other men, who it identified as being former Proud Boys members, were hired to work on election day and, as of Monday, were still on the schedule to work.
Trutie told the Herald that the two men were still on the schedule because they had not been convicted of any crimes.
Both outlets identified one of the men as Christopher Barcenas, and Trutie the name to both outlets.
He voluntarily testified to the House committee investigating the riot about the role the Proud Boys played in the event, the Times reported.
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