At least one Proud Boys member on trial for the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol had a previously-concealed FBI informant set to appear as a witness in their case, a defense attorney said Wednesday.
Former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola are all on federal trial after being accused in a June 2022 indictment of conspiring “to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force.”
The government revealed Wednesday that a witness scheduled to appear in the defense case Thursday had been an FBI confidential human source from April 2021 to at least January 2023, Rehl’s lawyer Carmen Hernandez said in a court filing obtained by American Greatness’ Julie Kelly.
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The source had been in electronic contact with one or more of the defense’s counsel and at least one defendant over that period, participated in prayer meetings with one or more defendant’s family members, and talked with one of the defendant’s family members about replacing one of the defense counsel, the filing alleges. Rehl and his fellow defendants subsequently started preparing a motion to dismiss their indictment or hold an evidentiary hearing.
The filing demanded the release of all FBI interview reports and Justice Department memos about recording and reporting on the defense team.
Court filings previously suggested that the FBI had up to eight informants within the Proud Boys in the months surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, The New York Times reported.
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