Federal prosecutors had sought a five-year sentence, arguing that Fonticoba’s "calculated and coordinated conduct on January 6" and lack of remorse in the aftermath warranted serious punishment. They said he rejoiced in storming the Capitol with fellow Proud Boy members, helped destroy a black metal fence, and interfered with officers who were trying to stop the mob.
"While knowing full well that he and his associates had been the vanguard of the riot, Fonticoba used social media to advance the false narrative that police officers had engaged in 'a false flag operation' at the Capitol," prosecutors argued.
In a pre-sentencing motion, Fonticoba said he is remorseful for his actions and "the shame it has brought on him and his family." He asked for a sentence ranging from five to 12 months in prison. Since January 6, Fonticoba said, he has begun the process of deradicalization from the Proud Boys and political extremism.
"Unlike some January 6 defendants who eagerly make the media rounds, Fonticoba, a single father, has quietly tried to move on with his life and support his family," the motion states
The original story follows below.
A former Miami Proud Boy and onetime Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee member has been convicted of two felonies for storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly found Gilbert Fonticoba of Hialeah guilty of obstructing an official proceeding and civil disorder during his bench trial (a trial where the verdict is in the hands of a judge rather than a jury). Fonticoba was arrested in 2021 on six federal charges after traveling with other prominent Proud Boys to D.C., where he was captured on surveillance footage inside the Capitol building with fellow members of the far-right nationalist group.
Fonticoba was a member of the Ministry of Self Defense, a group of members Proud Boys leaders singled out to spearhead the assault on the Capitol, according to prosecutors. He was with Proud Boys leaders Joe Biggs and Ethan Nordean as they pushed past D.C. officers during the riot.
"Fonticoba stood directly behind Biggs as Biggs combined with Nordean and others to tear down the black metal fence. After the fence segment in front of Biggs and Fonticoba had broken loose from a nearby post, Fonticoba reached forward, grabbed the fence, and assisted Biggs and others in pulling the fence down toward the ground," according to a joint stipulation for the bench trial.
A 2021-22 Republican Executive Committee roster obtained by New Times includes the names of several current and former Proud Boys.
Obtained by New Times
Fonticoba's sentencing is scheduled for January 11, 2024.
Fonticoba is one of numerous Proud Boys indicted for breaching the Capitol during the certification of electoral college votes for the 2020 election of President Joe Biden. He is also one of several who previously joined the Miami-Dade GOP Executive Committee, which is the Republican Party's local governing body.
While facing charges related to the Capitol attack, at least a half-dozen then-current and former Proud Boys managed to secure seats within the GOP committee in an effort to shape local politics from the inside. New Times previously obtained a copy of the 2021-22 Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee roster, which listed Fonticoba and onetime Proud Boy Gabriel Garcia, who is also facing charges related to January 6.
As noted by New York Times journalists Patricia Mazzei and Alan Feuer, the far-right group had "destabilized and dramatically reshaped" a once-conservative and buttoned-up Miami-Dade Republican Party.
Fonticoba's sentencing comes just weeks after five leading Proud Boys members were sentenced to some of the lengthiest prison terms to date for the Capitol attack.
In early September, Miami native Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years for his role in the insurrection — the longest sentence imposed upon a January 6 defendant. Three other leaders of the group who were convicted of seditious conspiracy — Biggs, Nordean, and Zach Rehl — received sentences that ranged from 15 to 18 years.
