Pardoned Proud Boys Leaders Sue Feds for $100 Million for ‘Political Persecution’ in Capitol Riot Cases
Enrique Tarrio is among those suing after Trump cut him a break.
Five members of the Proud Boys who were convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot are now suing the government for $100 million in punitive damages.
The members of the far-right group are accusing the federal government and the FBI of violating their rights. A former leader of the group, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, is among the plaintiffs. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges.
“I hope this suit encourages J6ers to take action against the federal government,” Mr. Tarrio stated at a news conference in Washington on Friday afternoon. “This is the right thing to do.”
Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Ethan Nordean, who were in leadership roles and convicted of seditious conspiracy, are part of the suit, along with another member, Dominic Pezzola, who was accused of assaulting a Capitol police officer and using his riot shield to smash a window.
The suit, filed in Federal District Court at Orlando, Florida, claims the men faced political persecution and complained about how they were arrested and denied bail, the New York Times reported. They also accused the FBI of using paid informants to spy on their defense team.
President Trump pardoned Mr. Tarrio and commuted the sentences of the others connected to the lawsuit on his first day back in the White House. He has long tried to downplay the events of January 6 and he pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,500 people connected with the investigation, calling them “political prisoners.”
Even if the Proud Boys don’t win the suit, they might still get some money from the federal government. Mr. Trump’s pardon attorney, Ed Martin, has previously said the Capitol rioters deserve some form of compensation for their alleged mistreatment, the Times notes.
Federal lawyers have also entered settlement talks in a wrongful death suit involving Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer during the Capitol riot.
Friday’s lawsuit comes after Mr. Tarrio said last month that he met Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago and said they had a “great conversation.” There was no immediate comment from the Department of Justice or the White House on the lawsuit.
