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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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The trial involving members of the Proud Boys was halted this week after it was revealed that a witness expected to testify was previously a government informant.
According to the Associated Press, the revelation was announced on Wednesday by federal prosecutors in the sedition case involving Proud Boys members Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Dominic Pezzola, Ethan Nordean and Zachary Rehl for their alleged role in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Rehl's attorney, Carmen Hernandez, requested that the trial be suspended "until these issues have been considered and resolved," AP reported.
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On Thursday morning, Kyle Cheney of Politico reported that the trial was halted.
The revelation this week comes amid the trial in one of the biggest Capitol riot cases being handled by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Throughout the trial, there have been similar issues brought up by attorneys representing the Proud Boys.
This month, Nordean's attorney, Nicholas Smith, filed a motion accusing an FBI special agent of hiding messages following her testimony. Special Agent Nicole Miller was required to turn over any written statements that were related to her testimony, but Nordean's attorney said in a court filing that "a close examination of the agent's sheet revealed over one thousand hidden Excel rows of messages."
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In the court filing this week, Hernandez said: "This instant motion is based on a disclosure made to defense counsel today, March 22, 2023, at the end of the Court's proceedings wherein the government stated that one of the witnesses (who was disclosed to the United States and the Court as directed by the Court in December 2022) who was scheduled to appear in the defense case the following day has been serving as a CHS since April, 2021 through at least, January 2023.
"During this period of time, the CHS [Confidential Human Source] has been in contact via telephone, text messaging and other electronic means, with one or more of the counsel for the defense and at least one defendant. During this period of time, the CHS also participated in prayer meetings with members of one or more of the defendants' families."
Newsweek reached out to Hernandez via email for comment.
The DOJ issued a responding motion on Thursday morning that disputed some of the claims made by the Proud Boys attorneys.
"Although the FBI was generally aware that the CHS was active in assisting defendants charged with crimes related to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and their families, including by assisting in fundraising efforts and protesting against their conditions of confinement, the FBI intentionally chose to never ask the CHS about her relationship with defendant Enrique Tarrio or any of the other defendants or counsel in this matter," the motion said.
Newsweek was directed to the motion after reaching out to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., for comment.
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