According to reports, “Jan. 6” defendant Dominic Pezzola’s attorney Roger Roots revealed that law enforcement had at least 40 undercover spies on surveillance work among defendants.
Pezzola, along with the group’s former chief Enrique Tarrio and supporters Zachary Rehl, Joseph Biggs, and Ethan Nordean, are on trial in federal court in Washington, D.C., for allegedly plotting to obstruct the January ’21 transfer of presidential authority and associated offenses.
According to court documents filed by Roots, the government confessed that 8 FBI confidential human sources were infiltrated among the Proud Boys on January 6. The Homeland Security Investigations unit reportedly had approximately 19 active informants.
According to Roots, at least 13 MPD personnel in civilian clothing conducted operations among defendants. Twelve of the police, he said, had information provided on them by federal prosecutors.
Many undercover Metro police officers joined the Proud Boy walk, according to Roots. They can be heard on body cameras shouting slogans.
Roots requested the court to force the government to disclose any undercover operatives, informants, and other covert human sources relevant to January 6, claiming that the HIS informants and their behavior might assist in exonerating Pezzola.
Roots asked the court for authorization to serve a subpoena for alleged FBI informant and rioter Ray Epps. Epps rejected the allegations. The lawyer claimed in the Friday petition that Epps is being mysteriously safeguarded against prosecution by the government, citing the statements of defendant William Pope from January 6 that covert MPD officers were inciting the January 6 throng from inside to rush the Capitol.
According to reports, on March 22, the government informed Tarrio’s defense team that the lady they planned to summon as a witness was an FBI confidential source from 2021 until 2023.
Sabino Jauregui, Tarrio’s attorney, stated when Judge Kelly decided on March 27 that defense counsel could not issue the woman’s affiliation with the FBI in the trial, he would not bring her to testify.
A Proud Boys lawyer submitted a motion disclosing the group’s many informants. FBI informants were dominated by CHS and other law enforcement agencies’ plain-clothes agents, suggesting that at least 50 informants had infiltrated the organization that day.
