Proud Boys Members Sue Over January 6 Charges

Five members of the far-right group Proud Boys are claiming that their constitutional rights were infringed upon following their charges related to the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

The lawsuit was lodged in a Federal Court in Orlando by former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, along with Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean, and Dominique Pezzola.

They are seeking unspecified compensatory damages, as well as interest on punitive damages, amounting to $100 million plus 6% interest.

The plaintiffs argue that their arrests were based on insufficient grounds, claiming that government agents later fabricated evidence against them. Furthermore, they state that they faced extended periods of solitary confinement while awaiting trial.

The plaintiffs’ legal filing asserts, “The plaintiffs themselves did not interfere with the lawsuit at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, obstruct the police, participate in civil disability, or plan or order anyone else.”

Tarrio, Biggs, Rehl, and Nordean were previously convicted of incitement alongside other crimes during the Capitol riot that aimed to disrupt the congressional approval of President Donald Trump’s 2020 election victory.

While Pezzola was acquitted on conspiracy charges, he was convicted of stealing a police officer’s riot shield and using it to break a window.

Earlier this year, after returning from office, Trump pardoned a majority of those who participated in the Capitol breach. Tarrio received a pardon, but the other four plaintiffs are currently serving their sentences.

The lawsuit mentions that these four plaintiffs applied for pardons on May 13. As of now, the U.S. Department of Justice has not responded to a request for comment.