He was, and still is, a member of the Portland area far-right group Patriot Prayer, prior to joining the Proud Boys[9][7] and has been convicted of multiple criminal charges for violence at rallies.

[14][5][15] Toese, a friend of Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson, punched a man in the face during a Portland, Oregon rally in Chapman Square on May 13, 2017.

[4][16] Described as "a regular presence at alt-right events in Portland throughout the year", Toese was detained and first cited for a crime at a rally for Patriot Prayer in August 2017.

[19] In May 2018, when in the company of several Proud Boys members, Toese was filmed getting into a physical altercation with a teenager at the Vancouver Mall in Clark County, Washington before security officers intervened and separated them.

[20] Toese appeared at a Patriot Prayer rally in August 2018 wearing a shirt printed with "Pinochet was right" and RWDS,[21] shorthand used by the Proud Boys for "right wing death squad".

[23] Toese was indicted by a grand jury[10] and charged with assault following a June 8, 2018, incident in Portland, Oregon[24] that left a man with "stitches and a concussion".

After they flipped over a white van and smashed the windows out, the Proud Boys including Toese were observed shooting paintballs at people while driving around the suburban, residential Parkrose neighborhood.