Barbara "Barby" Balmaseda — a Miami Lakes native with ties to high-profile Republican politicians and the far-right Proud Boys — was arrested in December 2023 on a handful of charges related to the riot, including corrupt obstruction of an official proceeding, knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building, and engaging in disorderly conduct in a Capitol building with the intent to impede a session of Congress.
According to court records, on May 22 a grand jury formally indicted Balmaseda, who will turn 24 in June, on all five charges. (The indictment is embedded at the end of this story.)
In response to an emailed request for comment, Balmaseda's attorney, Nayib Hassan, said, "We look forward to presenting a vigorous defense on her behalf as we have entered a plea of not guilty. Additionally, we are patiently awaiting the ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on the 1512 allegations [Editor's Note: hyperlink added], as they may have a direct impact on Mrs. Balmaseda's case."
As New Times previously reported, online sleuths zeroed in on Balmaseda (whom they dubbed #PinkGaiterPBG and #PinkPBGirl) in March 2022 after she was photographed inside the Capitol on January 6 wearing a black-and-pink gaiter and later alongside Proud Boys Gabriel Garcia and Ethan Nordean, both of whom have been arrested and charged with felonies in connection to the insurrection.
In the months prior to the insurrection, Balmaseda created a Telegram group chat that included Garcia and other Miami-area Proud Boys, according to an FBI affidavit. Between November 2020 and January 2021, she sent roughly 900 messages in the chat, which she variously renamed "Barby's Security :)" and "Barby's Security Detail."
Federal prosecutors say Barbara Balmaseda was caught on camera pushing deeper into the Capitol as rioters confronted police and pushed back law enforcement lines.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) photo
"U.S. Capitol Police closed-circuit television captured Balmaseda entering the Capitol building via the Senate Wing door at approximately 2:16 p.m., just four minutes after rioters initially breached the building," the DOJ alleges.
Balmaseda interned for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio between 2018 and 2019, helped to organize Gov. Ron DeSantis' 2018 campaign, and was a campaign manager for Ileana Garcia's controversial 2020 Florida Senate race.
She was also previously listed as director at-large on the website of Miami Young Republicans and served as regional director for Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends, a group that bills itself as a "free-market climate advocacy" campaign.
Editor's note: This story was updated to include a response to a request for comment from Balmaseda's attorney. The story will be further updated if events warrant.
