Federal prosecutors have disclosed that a witness scheduled to appear in the defense’s case for a group of Proud Boys accused of seditious conspiracy was an FBI informant for over a year and a half. The accusations against these men are for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
The revelation regarding the informant was included in a court filing on Wednesday, March 22, written by defense attorney Carmen Hernandez. Hernandez expressed concern that the prosecution may have learned information relevant to the trial through the informant, who had been in touch with one of the Proud Boys, their legal counsel, and one or more of their family members. Hernandez said the revelation raises “serious and substantiated allegations of governmental misconduct surrounding the surreptitious invasion.”
Prosecutors stated that the informant had not been tasked with reporting information about the defendants or their lawyers, and her relationship with the FBI ended after she was subpoenaed for the case. U.S. District Court Judge Tim Kelly said he did not see a need to suspend the trial but will continue his consideration on Friday, March 24.
This isn’t the first government informant related to this case. Last week, an FBI agent testified that she knew of two informants in the Proud Boys.
The Proud Boys involved in this case include former national chairman Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola. They have been charged with conspiring to block the transfer of presidential power and could face up to 20 years in prison.
