Latest news with #seditiousConspiracy
Sky News
a day 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.
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Proud Boys sue US government for $100m over Jan 6 prosecutions
Five leaders of far-right group the Proud Boys, who were convicted in connection to the 6 January, 2021 Capitol riot, have sued the US government for $100 million (£74m), claiming that their rights were violated during their five were convicted of plotting and taking part in the riot to overturn President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election. Trump pardoned or commuted their sentences earlier this lawsuit, filed in Florida on Friday, claims FBI agents and prosecutors were motivated by personal biases when prosecuting their cases. They argue their constitutional rights were trampled on "to punish and oppress political allies" of Trump. The lawsuit was filed by Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola. Tarrio was found guilty of plotting the 2021 attack on the US Capitol, which happened as lawmakers were certifying former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the longest out of the was formally convicted of seditious conspiracy, a rarely used charge of planning to overthrow the government, and multiple other other four leaders faced similar charges, and were also sentenced to time behind convictions were overturned by Trump, who issued approximately 1,500 pardons of people involved in the Capitol riot in January, on the day of his inauguration. "These people have been destroyed," Trump said after signing their pardons. "What they've done to these people is outrageous. There's rarely been anything like it in the history of our country."The lawsuit filed on Friday alleges the five leaders of the Proud Boys were subject to "egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system". It accuses prosecutors of engaging in instances of "evidence tampering" and "witness intimidation".It also alleges that their prosecution was "corrupt and politically motivated." The lawsuit was filed against the Department of Justice, which is currently operating under the Trump administration and is run by Attorney General Pam BBC has reached out to the Justice Department for to figures released by the department in January, approximately 1,583 defendants have been charged with crimes associated with the Capitol than 600 were charged with assaulting, resisting or obstructing law enforcement, including around 175 charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an Police officers were attacked by rioters with weapons including metal batons, wooden planks, flagpoles, fire extinguishers and pepper lawmakers had condemned the riot, while Trump has described it as a "day of love". His pardons of those convicted have been criticised by Democratic lawmakers as an attempt to re-write history. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who was among the lawmakers forced to flee during the riot, called the pardons "an outrageous insult to our justice system".
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Enrique Tarrio and other freed January 6 convicts sue over prosecutions
Enrique Tarrio, the former national leader of the far-right Proud Boys group, and four other members convicted of orchestrating the deadly 6 January 2021 US Capitol attack are suing the federal government for allegedly violating their rights. A lawsuit filed on Friday in federal court in Florida alleges that FBI agents and prosecutors acted with personal malice when they investigated and charged the five, who were all granted pardons or commutations when Donald Trump returned to office in January. Tarrio and fellow plaintiffs Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Dominic Pezzola are seeking unspecified compensatory damages, plus $100m each in punitive damages, according to the lawsuit filed in US district court in Orlando. Tarrio received a 22-year prison sentence in September 2023 for his part in organizing the attack, even though he was not present when Trump's supporters overran the Capitol building bent on keeping him in power after his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were convicted of seditious conspiracy after the same trial – which lasted almost four months – and given lengthy prison terms. Pezzola was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but handed a 10-year sentence for convictions including destruction of government property. All four, along with 10 others, had their sentences commuted following Trump's sweeping action in January that also granted full and unconditional pardons for about 1,500 people involved in the violence, which was linked to several deaths and the injuries of about 140 law enforcement officers. Trump's order referred to the Capitol attack convicts as 'hostages' and stated: 'This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.' According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which reported the lawsuit development on Friday, the plaintiffs claim the government lacked probable cause to raid their homes after they turned themselves in in connection with their indictments – and that FBI employees reviewed privileged communications with their attorneys. 'Through the use of evidence tampering, witness intimidation, violations of attorney-client privilege, and placing spies to report on trial strategy, the government got its fondest wish of imprisoning the [January 6] defendants, the modern equivalent of placing one's enemies' heads on a spike outside the town wall as a warning to any who would think to challenge the status quo,' the lawsuit states. The document also complains that the men were poorly treated during their time in detention, held for an extended pre-trial period without bond, and held in solitary confinement without cause. '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 continues, contesting evidence presented by prosecutors at their trial. 'Rather, mere statements of approval, agreement, and enthusiasm are apparently enough to form a criminal conspiracy, provided the points of view are offensive enough to employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice, no matter how attenuated from criminal action they may have been.' Neither the FBI nor the justice department immediately responded to requests for comment. Both are now controlled by close Trump allies: Kash Patel, the FBI director, and Pam Bondi, the attorney general. Tarrio was arrested in Washington DC within a month of his release for allegedly striking a woman who was protesting against a gathering attended by Proud Boys members that received pardons. Two days later, he was captured in a video taken in the lobby of a Washington hotel haranguing officers who were injured during the insurrection as they attended a conference. In May, it was reported that the Trump administration had reached a $5m wrongful death settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter who was fatally shot by a police officer as she attempted to break through a door into the speaker's lobby at the Capitol while participating in the attack. Tarrio, from Miami, told the WSJ in an interview on Friday that he believed the legal environment had changed since Trump's re-election. He said he had finally been able to find a law firm to take his compensation case after failing to find lawyers in Florida to represent him in legal action against social media companies and banks he said had 'deplatformed' people for their political beliefs.
Associated Press
a day 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.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Proud Boys leaders seek US$100 million over Jan. 6 prosecutions
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo rioters break into the Capitol in Washington. Far-right media personality Tim Gionet, who calls himself "Baked Alaska," will not face house arrest after being charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol after court officials raised concerns about his recent encounters with police officers in Arizona. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) Four leaders of the Proud Boys who were pardoned after being found guilty of trying to keep U.S. President Donald Trump in power on Jan. 6, 2021 after he lost the election to Joe Biden filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking US$100 million from the government. 'The Plaintiffs bring this suit to seek redress for the multiple violations of their constitutional rights,' the document read. The lawsuit was filed in Florida by Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, the former chairman of the far-right group, and Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Ethan Nordean, who all played leadership roles, plus Dominic Pezzola. Tarrio was convicted of crimes including seditious conspiracy for his role in planning the Capitol riot that sought to stop Congress from certifying Biden's election defeat of Trump in 2020. He was ordered to serve 22 years in prison. Biggs, Rehl and Nordean all played leadership roles in the Proud Boys and were tried alongside Tarrio for seditious conspiracy and other crimes. Pezzola was accused of assaulting former Capitol Police Officer Mark Ode by stealing his riot shield and using it to smash a window at the Capitol. All four also received jail terms. On the first day of his return office in 2025, Trump issued a sweeping clemency order, granting pardons to almost all of the more than 1,500 defendants who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and issuing sentence commutations to 14 others. Costas Pitas, Reuters
