A disgraced police officer accused of feeding far-right Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio secret information was called a “double agent” in court Monday as he stood trial.
Lt. Shane Lamond of the Metropolitan Police Department is charged with one count of obstruction of justice, alongside three counts of making false statements, according to the Associated Press.
His trial began on Monday, with federal prosecutor Joshua Rothstein calling him a “sympathizer” for the group, which was instrumental in carrying out the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lamond has been accused of telling Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio that he was going to be arrested after the group burned a stolen banner that read “Black Lives Matter.” He then lied to police about his conversations with the leader, Rothstein said.
“This play-by-play information allowed the Proud Boys to be one step ahead of law enforcement,” the prosecutor added.
Lamond is accused of discussing the Capitol Riot with Tarrio—and saying directly that he supported the Proud Boys.
“Of course I can’t say it officially, but personally I support you all and don’t want to see your group’s name and reputation dragged through the mud,” Lamond said, according to the indictment.
Tarrio is currently in jail on a 22-year sentence following his conviction on Jan. 6-related conspiracy charges.
He previously said he was waiting to make a decision on whether to testify in Lamond’s case until after the election last month. Trump has been a staunch supporter of pardoning those with Jan. 6 charges.
The case will be decided by a U.S. District judge with no jury.
Ana Jara, an attorney for Lamond, said it was “simply not true” that he was a sympathizer of the right-wing group.
