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Former Proud Boys Leader Testifies in Defense of Officer Accused of Involvement in Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

In Citizen
January 13, 2025

January 6th Capitol Incident

January 6th Capitol Incident

January 6th Capitol incident

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Former leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, testified in support of an officer who is accused of helping him. This is the first time Tarrio has appeared in court since he was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his involvement in the seditious conspiracy related to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

Written by Zach Montague and Alan Feuer

Zach Montague provided coverage from the capital, while Alan Feuer reported from the city of New York.

Enrique Tarrio, previously in charge of the extremist group Proud Boys, made his first court appearance since being sentenced for his involvement in the events of January 6, 2021. He testified in support of a police officer who was accused of sharing confidential information with him inappropriately.

During Mr. Tarrio’s testimony, he spent more than three hours answering questions. He mainly discussed whether Lt. Shane Lamond of the Washington police had informed him in advance about his impending arrest when he traveled to Washington in January 2021 to attend a pro-Trump rally that later led to the Capitol attack.

Although it was short, Mr. Tarrio’s appearance in Federal District Court in Washington, where he and three others were found guilty of seditious conspiracy related to the Capitol attack last year, was a noteworthy legal event.

During a trial, Mr. Tarrio, currently serving a 22-year prison sentence, had a disagreement with Judge Amy Berman Jackson when he denied the authenticity of text messages between him and Mr. Lamond. He also invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination by refusing to answer questions, prompting Judge Jackson to pause the trial to determine the next steps if he continued to avoid answering prosecutors’ questions.

After Mr. Tarrio came back to the witness stand, Judge Jackson informed him that by voluntarily coming to court, he had given up his right to not self-incriminate under the Fifth Amendment. Mr. Tarrio disagreed with this legal decision.

Mr. Tarrio stated that he may choose to invoke his Fifth Amendment right at some point.

Judge Jackson said that depending on the situation, consequences for the individual may include having their testimony removed, facing contempt charges, or other potential actions.

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