Five Proud Boys leaders who were convicted of spearheading the January 6 Capitol riot are suing the federal government and claiming that their constitutional rights were violated.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday in a federal court in Florida, is seeking $100 million in restitution and comes after President Donald Trump pardoned almost all of the January 6 defendants on the first day of his second term, The Hill reports.
The five men bringing the suit are Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, Joe Biggs and Dominic Pezzola. Four of the men were convicted on charges of seditious conspiracy. Pezzola was acquitted but was convicted on other felonies associated with the infamous riot.
They are claiming that "political prosecution" violated their constitutional rights.
“What follows is a parade of horribles: egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system and the United States Constitution to punish and oppress political allies of President Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal,” their lawsuit alleges.
In the filing, the Proud Boys accuse the FBI of using paid informants to spy on their defense team, allege they were denied bail, and claim that federal agents had altered what they say was exculpatory evidence relevant to their defense, according to the New York Times.
The lawsuit will force the Department of Justice under Trump to either defend its prosecution of Capitol rioters or offer a payout to the right-wing gang members.
Ed Martin, who is now the Justice Department’s pardon attorney, has said he believes that the Capitol riot convicts deserve compensation for what he claimed was mistreatment by the federal government.
Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the longest for any January 6 defendant before he was pardoned by Trump.
The Proud Boys' lawsuit cites Trump's pardon in its language, arguing that it sought to "end a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years."
The Independent has requested comment from the Department of Justice.
