A defense attorney has alleged that at least one member of the Proud Boys, who is on trial for their involvement in the January 6th Capitol riots, had an FBI informant embedded in their defense team, according to a report from The Daily Caller.
The revelation was made on Wednesday during the trial of former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola.
According to a court filing obtained by American Greatness, a witness scheduled to appear in the defense case on Thursday had been an FBI confidential human source from April 2021 to at least January 2023.
The informant had been in electronic contact with one or more of the defense’s counsel and at least one defendant over that period.
The informant had also reportedly participated in prayer meetings with one or more of the defendant’s family members and talked with one of their family members about replacing one of the defense counsels.
As a result, Rehl’s lawyer Carmen Hernandez has demanded the release of all FBI interview reports and Justice Department memos about recording and reporting on the defense team.
The defense team subsequently started preparing a motion to dismiss their indictment or hold an evidentiary hearing, Daily Caller notes.
The FBI has previously been accused of having up to eight informants within the Proud Boys in the months surrounding the Capitol riot, according to court filings reported on by The New York Times.
The defendants are accused of conspiring “to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force,” as outlined in a June 2022 indictment.
