- Five members of Proud Boys, including its leader were indicted by the DOJ for seditious conspiracy.
- Based on information from the government, the lawyers of the accused are asking for dismissal.
- NYT reports that some information related to FBI informants inside Proud Boys.
Court papers suggest that the FBI had eight informants in the far-right Proud Boys organisation at the Capitol riot. A New York Times Report.
Five members of the Proud Boy’s defense team, who are facing seditious conspiracy charges in connection to the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021, have filed a motion to dismiss the indictment or to delay their trial.
The lawyers claimed that hundreds of pages of government records were kept secret until recently and could contain information that might be “exculpatory”.
The New York Times reported in its report that there were up to eight FBI informants. The defense attorneys are asserting that some of the information provided by these sources could have been useful to their clients’ sedition cases.
Former leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio was indicted by the Justice Department along with Joseph Biggs and Ethan Nordean. Their trial is scheduled for December 12.
Insider was unable to immediately verify the statements regarding FBI informants made in court documents filed by defense lawyers in the last few days.
Nordean’s attorney, David B. Smith, stated in one filing that the government’s decision earlier this month to produce records “material for the defense” did not allow enough time to review the records or interview “relevant witnesses (perhaps 8 of them, or more)” prior to his December 12 trial.
Smith and J. Daniel Hull (an attorney for Biggs) did not respond to a request of comment.
The Times reported previouslyIt was revealed that a Proud Boy member was an FBI informant, and that the source was present at Capitol during the riot.
According to the report the informant met up with the Proud Boys the morning of Jan 6, 2021. He also sent his FBI handler updates via text message while protestors entered the Capitol building.
Although there is no evidence to suggest that the FBI was involved in the attack on the Capitol, many Republicans and conservative pundits believe so. Tucker CarlsonThe theory was that federal agents were involved in the inciting of violence at the Capitol.
According to court documents, the Proud Boys’ lawyers now claim that there is “increasing doubtfulness” and “high unlikelihood,” that the Proud Boys conspired to obstruct 2020 voter certification or commit sedition.
