The 2018 Capitol Proud Boys Trial: Judgmentary Summary and Early First-Principles Against the Five Defendants

The trial against the Proud Boys is scheduled to start on Monday with jury selection in DC federal court. All five defendants have pleaded not guilty to the indictment and face a maximum sentence of 20 years in a federal prison.

As the battle at Capitol unfolded, members of the hand chosen mosD such as Pezzola could be seen in videos consistently on the front lines of the riot. Nordean, Biggs and Rehl allegedly stayed back, opting to follow once others had already broken through police lines.

Attorneys for the five defendants have argued that they were merely protesting on January 6 and have also suggested that the government is overcharging their clients. In court hearings, defense attorneys have also said the group had no real, cohesive plan to attack the Capitol that day.

A leader in the Proud Boys group in Washington state is 31,Ethan Nordean. Nordean, who goes by the moniker “Rufio Panman” after a member of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys, rose to prominence in 2017 after a video of him knocking out an anti-fascist protester in one punch went viral.

Joseph Biggs, 38, is an Army veteran and Proud Boys leader from Florida. Biggs previously worked as a correspondent for Infowars, a far-right outlet that peddles false conspiracy theories.

The First Mob in Washington, DC: Tarrio vs. Pezzola: The Mob marched to the Capitol on January 4, 2020

“If Biden steals this election, [the Proud Boys] will be political prisoners. Tarrio allegedly posted online in the days after the election that they wouldn’t go quietly.

The Ministry of Self Defense was created by Tarrio and others after Trump announced his January 6 rally on a social media platform. The members of the mosD were “hand selected” and were told not to wear the Proud Boys uniforms of black and yellow because they would break the law.

The MOSD, Tarrio allegedly informed new members, would have a “top down structure.” He, Biggs and Nordean were viewed as the MOSD leaders, prosecutors say. Some of them, including Rehl were part of the leadership of the MOSD.

Tarrio was arrested in Washington, DC, on January 4, 2021, for burning a DC church’s Black Lives Matter banner in December and bringing high-capacity rifle magazines into the district. He was told by a judge to leave the city. Tarrio hoped his arrest would inspire people to attack the police.

A group of approximately 100 Proud Boys met at the Washington Monument the morning of January 6, prosecutors say. Several of the members, including Biggs and Rehl, allegedly had walkie-talkie style radios, and Nordean and Biggs both used a bullhorn to direct the group as they marched to the Capitol.

The group arrived at the Capitol around 15 minutes before Congress was set to start the joint proceeding to certify the 2020 election, according to videos from that day, and walked to an access point on the west side of the building. A Proud Boy named Ryan Samsel was the first to charge and breach barricades on the Capitol grounds, prosecutors say, and he spoke to Biggs just one minute before acting.

When the mob arrived at the Capitol doors, Pezzola used a stolen police riot shield to smash a window, prosecutors say. Pezzola and Biggs were among the first members of the mob to enter the Capitol building. The session of the Senate was suspended minutes later.

The Oath Keepers’ Seditious Concealment as a Case Study of the Proud Boys: Correspondence to Stewart Rhodes

The Oath Keepers’ seditious conspiracy case, which was successfully prosecuted by the Justice Department, could act as a model for prosecutors when it comes to the Proud Boys.

Stewart Rhodes acted like a general during his trial as prosecutors argued that he was in charge of his troops on January 6, and they will likely use that against Tarrio.

The prosecutors have said that the leaders of the Proud Boys encouraged their followers to “turn your brains off a little bit.” and used those followers as “tools” to achieve their larger plan.

If the Justice Department secures convictions for Tarrio and other Proud Boys leaders, the group will continue to exist, Rachel Carroll Rivas, a senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center who studies extremism told CNN.

Rivas said the group’s goal is to create chaos and fear through a sense of uncertainty, which she says is meant to lead fewer people to speak up against them.

His testimony is part of a core disagreement between prosecutors and defense attorneys as to whether Tarrio, and the Proud Boys as a whole, wanted to help law enforcement or were prepared to be violent against them.

Lamond was placed on administrative leave by the Metropolitan Police Department in February 2022, and was still on leave as of December 2022. The reasons why Lamond was put on leave did not arrive until Wednesday, and the MPD didn’t answer a request for comment.

According to Lamond’s attorney, his duty was to establish lines of communication for all the people who came to Washington to protest or march. Lamond was communicating with individuals because the mission required it. Lt. Lamond was instrumental in the arrest of the defendant for his burning of the BLM flag and there is no legitimate law enforcement officer who is familiar with the facts of this case who would opine otherwise.”

Lamond told Tarrio that he would check with the investigators to see if they have a video of him and that law enforcement was investigating the flag burning.

Tarrio’s lawyer argued that prosecutors were trying to make Lamond look like a “dirty cop” to get him to testify for the defense. He also argued that provided useful information to the officer, which Lamond sent to his superiors and to the Capitol Police’s intelligence unit director at the time.

Why the FBI should not allow an Informant to be removed from the FB chatting channel in the wake of the January 6, 2001 terrorist attack

The baseless notion that individuals who participated in the January 6 attack were convinced to act by undercover FBI agents is no longer supported by testimony.

The Proud Boys had some members act as Informants for the FBI, according to the agent.

The group ousted at least one person who they thought was an Informant. Tarrio told the other leaders that the individual should be removed from all of the chats. It’s urgent.