A federal judge agreed on Wednesday to postpone a trial for the former leader of the Proud Boys and other members of the extremist group charged with
A federal judge agreed on Wednesday to postpone a trial for the former leader of the Proud Boys and other members of the extremist group charged with attacking the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly postponed the start of the trial from Aug. 8 to Dec. 12 after attorneys for several of the men argued that their clients couldn’t get a fair trial by an impartial jury in the midst of televised hearings by the House committee investigating the Capitol attack. They’re also waiting for the committee to share documents that could become trial evidence. Former Proud Boys national chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and four other men are charged with seditious conspiracy for what authorities say was a plot to forcibly oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power during the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. Tarrio, 38, of Miami, and his co-defendants — Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola — have been in federal custody for months. Their trial is expected to last four to six weeks, stretching into next year. Biggs, Pezzola and Rehl asked for the trial to be postponed. Biggs’ lawyer, J. Daniel Hull, noted that the House committee isn’t expected to release hundreds of deposition and interview transcripts until after an August trial would have started.
“The transcripts are must-haves for trial preparation,” Hull wrote. Justice Department prosecutors consented to the delay. They said the House committee’s failure to share the deposition and interview transcripts is also hampering their ability to investigate and prosecute Jan.
