Five leaders of the far-right group Proud Boys have filed a lawsuit against the US government, seeking $100 million in damages for alleged violations of their constitutional rights during their prosecution for involvement in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot. The lawsuit, filed in Florida, claims that FBI agents and prosecutors were motivated by personal biases when prosecuting their cases, aiming to “punish and oppress political allies” of former President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit alleges that the five leaders were subject to “egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system,” including instances of “evidence tampering” and “witness intimidation.” They claim their prosecution was “corrupt and politically motivated.” The plaintiffs are Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, who were convicted of plotting and participating in the riot to overturn Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.
Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy, a rarely used charge of planning to overthrow the government, and multiple other counts. However, Trump pardoned or commuted their sentences earlier this year, issuing approximately 1,500 pardons to individuals involved in the Capitol riot. Trump stated, “These people have been destroyed. What they’ve done to these people is outrageous. There’s rarely been anything like it in the history of our country”.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory damages plus 6% interest and $100 million plus interest in punitive damages. The Proud Boys leaders argue that their constitutional rights were trampled on during the prosecution. The Department of Justice, currently operating under the Trump administration, has been contacted for comment.
The January 6 Capitol riot resulted in approximately 1,583 defendants being charged with crimes, including over 600 charged with assaulting, resisting, or obstructing law enforcement. Many lawmakers condemned the riot, while Trump described it as a “day of love.” His pardons have been criticized by Democratic lawmakers as an attempt to rewrite history, with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling them “an outrageous insult to our justice system”.