by Trevor Schakohl
The FBI had up to eight informants within the Proud Boys in the months surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, recent court filings suggest, according to The New York Times.
Defense attorneys for former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four members of the group, who are scheduled to stand trial in December for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to Jan. 6, filed court documents in the past several days revealing the informants’ presence in the Proud Boys’ ranks, the outlet reported. The defense contended that the prosecution had, until recently, improperly withheld some information the government received from the informants that was favorable to the accused.
The U.S. District Court of D.C. held a closed hearing about the informants Monday, according to the NYT. A protective order currently conceals material showing what informants said about the Proud Boys’ Jan. 6 involvement, and some of the case’s divulged court filings are highly redacted.
Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola allegedly conspired “to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force,” according to a court filing against them earlier this year. They have all been charged with nine counts including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, destruction of government property and aiding and abetting.
Pezzola was singularly charged with robbery of personal property of the U.S. after allegedly stealing a riot shield from a Capitol Police officer.
The FBI declined the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Trevor Schakohl is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Proud Boys” by Elvert Barnes. CC BY-SA 2.0.
