Latest news with #DominicPezzola
Sky News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Far-right Proud Boys file $100m lawsuit against US government over convictions from Capitol riots
Five members of the far-right group Proud Boys, who were convicted following the attack on the US Capitol in 2021, have filed a lawsuit seeking $100m (£74m) from the US government. They claim their constitutional rights were violated when they were prosecuted for taking part in the riots, which aimed to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's win over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. The lawsuit was filed in Orlando federal court by Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Ethan Nordean, who all had leadership roles in the group, plus Dominic Pezzola. The lawsuit claims the men were arrested with insufficient probable cause and that government agents later "found" fake incriminating evidence. They also claim they were held for years in pretrial detention, often in solitary confinement. Tarrio, former Proud Boys chairman, suggested they were held as "hostages" - repeating a term Donald Trump has also used to refer to those jailed for involvement in the violence which erupted on 6 January 2021 in Washington DC. At a news conference on Friday, Terrio added that the lawsuit was "important to bring back law and order into our system". Tarrio, Biggs, Rehl and Nordean were all convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes. Pezzola was jailed after stealing a police officer's riot shield and using it to smash a window. They received sentences ranging between 10 and 22 years but were released after Mr Trump returned to office this year. The US president granted pardons to almost all of the more than 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol. Stewart Rhodes, who founded the so-called Oath Keepers, received an 18-year prison sentence after being found guilty of seditious conspiracy but was also later freed. He told Sky News he was convicted in a "show trial". 1:23 The Proud Boys lawsuit adds that: "The plaintiffs themselves did not obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, conspire to impede the police, or participate in civil disorder, nor did they plan for or order anyone else to do so." "The plaintiffs bring this suit to seek redress for the multiple violations of their constitutional rights," the document read. Separately on Friday, a retired police officer was sentenced to serve 18 months in jail for lying to authorities about leaking confidential information to Tarrio, when he was the leader of the Proud Boys. Shane Lamond, a lieutenant for the Metropolitan Police Department in the capital, denied handing over details about an investigation into Tarrio. But he was convicted of obstructing justice and making false statements. Tarrio was under investigation for burning a Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020, which he later admitted stealing from a church in Washington DC. Tarrio, who attended Lamond's sentencing, called for Mr Trump to pardon Lamond.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Leaders of the Jan. 6 riot take revenge against US after securing pardon from Trump
Five former members of the Proud Boys are looking for a little revenge after getting a pardon from Donald Trump, filing a $100million lawsuit against the Department of Justice. One of the first moves of Donald Trump's second term was to pardon all January 6 defendants which included members of the far right Proud Boys. Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola have filed the suit in Orlando federal court. While Tarrio received a pardon, the other four plaintiffs had their sentences commuted. The lawsuit said all four applied for pardons on May 13. They claim their constitutional rights were violated when they were prosecuted for their participation in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The suit seeks unspecified compensatory damages plus 6% interest and $100 million plus interest in punitive damages. 'There was hostages in this country,' Tarrio said during a news conference Friday afternoon. 'It's not about any other country today, and that's why this lawsuit is so important to bring back law and order into our system.' The lawsuit claims the men were arrested with insufficient probable cause and that government agents later 'found' fake incriminating evidence. They also claim they were held for years in pretrial detention, often in solitary confinement. 'The Plaintiffs themselves did not obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, conspire to impede the police, or participate in civil disorder, nor did they plan for or order anyone else to do so,' the lawsuit said. Tarrio, Biggs, Rehl and Nordean were all convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for their participation in the Capitol riot that sought to stop Congress from certifying former U.S. President Joe Biden ´s win over President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Pezzola was acquitted on the conspiracy charge but convicted of stealing a police officer's riot shield and using it to smash a window. After returning to office earlier this year, Trump granted pardons to almost all of the more than 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol. The U.S. Justice Department didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Speaking to a media gaggle packed into his White House office the night of the inauguration, Trump said he was pardoning about 1,500 defendants and issuing six commutations. Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was a guest of honor at the Reagan Tribute at Mar-a-Lago – just two weeks after his prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump's executive order Zachary Rehl (pictured left) and Ethan Nordean (pictured right) are two of the plaintiffs in the suit He also directed the attorney general to seek dismissal of about 450 pending criminal cases against Jan. 6 defendants. The pardons fulfill Trump's promise to release supporters who tried to help him overturn his election defeat four years ago. 'These are the hostages,' he said while signing the paperwork in the Oval Office. Trump declared at his indoor parade earlier that day that he will sign pardons for 'a lot of people' who were convicted for the attack on the U.S. Capitol as the crowd cheered enthusiastically. 'We won, we won, but now the work begins,' Trump said to start his remarks at the end of the parade in the packed Capitol One Arena in Washington, DC. Tarrio, one of the biggest names to get a pardon, has since said he plans to run for public office. He was sentenced in September 2023 to serve 22 years in prison after he was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 attack – even though he was not present at the Capitol that day. And just two weeks later, Tarrio was among the guests of honor during a Reagan Tribute event at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Tarrio, who was chairman of the Proud Boys at the time of the Capitol attack, said he would neither 'support' nor 'condemn' the riot. The far-right activist did insist, however, that he did not 'sympathize' with lawmakers who were terrified in their offices that day. At least 37 members of the Proud Boys were arrested, charged or indicted for alleged roles in the Capitol riot by January 2022. By then, Tarrio was no longer a leader of the group. He served as chairman from 2018 to 2021. The House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack subpoenaed Tarrio to testify in November 2021 and in February 2022, he gave a deposition to the committee investigators and two members.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proud Boys members suing Justice Department for January 6 prosecutions
Members of the Proud Boys who were convicted by a jury on several counts related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack – each of whom were later pardoned or had their sentences commuted by President Donald Trump – are now suing the Justice Department for what they say was a 'political prosecution.' The individuals, including several former leaders of the group, say the prosecution in the case amounted to an 'egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system and the United States Constitution to punish and oppress political allies of President Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal.' Four of the five men – Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the group; Joseph Biggs; Ethan Nordean; Trump Zachary Rehl; and Dominic Pezzola – were convicted of seditious conspiracy and each received lengthy sentences prior to Trump's absolution. The group wants the government to pay $100 million in restitution for the criminal prosecution and has asked for a jury trial in the matter. In the wake of Trump's election for a second term, the administration granted full clemency to hundreds of people convicted of felony crimes like destroying property and assaulting police on January 6. Trump's reelection also brought with it a complete about-face on investigations into those who attacked the Capitol that day, effectively ending the largest ever investigation conducted by the FBI. Trump's Justice Department also recently announced it had reached a settlement in the lawsuit brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by an officer on January 6 after attempting to breach the Speaker's Lobby near the House chamber. CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment. Republicans and Trump allies have long argued that the hundreds of cases brought against people who participated in the January 6 attack often amounted to political persecution from Joe Biden's Justice Department because they targeted Trump supporters. The lawsuit filed Friday could either force the administration to defend its prosecution of the Proud Boys or settle with the men. One of the men suing the Justice Department, Dominic Pezzola, was the first rioter to break open a window at the Capitol, allowing scores of protestors to enter the building, prosecutors said during the trial. Prosecutors argued that the other four men were leaders of the group and helped coordinate and helm elements of the attack. 'Now that the Plaintiffs are vindicated, free, and able to once again exercise their rights as American citizens, they bring this action against their tormentors for violations of their Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment Rights,' the lawsuit says. The lawsuit argues that prosecutors went after the five men despite knowing they never organized or coordinated the events of January 6. Prosecutors, the lawsuit alleges, invented 'a whole new legal theory,' stacked the jury and breached attorney-client communications.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
5 Proud Boys sue US government over Jan. 6 prosecutions
ORLANDO, Fla. — Five members of the Proud Boys, a far-right militant group, claim their constitutional rights were violated when they were prosecuted for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a lawsuit filed Friday. The lawsuit was filed in Orlando federal court by former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola. It seeks unspecified compensatory damages plus 6% interest and $100 million plus interest in punitive damages.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
5 Proud Boys sue US government over Jan. 6 prosecutions
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Five members of the Proud Boys, a far-right militant group, claim their constitutional rights were violated when they were prosecuted for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a lawsuit filed Friday. The lawsuit was filed in Orlando federal court by former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola. It seeks unspecified compensatory damages plus 6% interest and $100 million plus interest in punitive damages. The lawsuit claims the men were arrested with insufficient probable cause and that government agents later 'found' fake incriminating evidence. They also claim they were held for years in pretrial detention, often in solitary confinement. 'The Plaintiffs themselves did not obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, conspire to impede the police, or participate in civil disorder, nor did they plan for or order anyone else to do so,' the lawsuit said. Tarrio, Biggs, Rehl and Nordean were all convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for their participation in the Capitol riot that sought to stop Congress from certifying former U.S. President Joe Biden's win over President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Pezzola was acquitted on the conspiracy charge but convicted of stealing a police officer's riot shield and using it to smash a window. After returning to office earlier this year, Trump granted pardons to almost all of the more than 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol. While Tarrio received a pardon, the other four plaintiffs had their sentences commuted. The lawsuit said all four applied for pardons on May 13. The U.S. Justice Department didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
