Overview
- Five members of the Proud Boys, led by former chairman Enrique Tarrio, filed the suit in a Florida federal court in June 2025 seeking $100 million in damages.
- They argue that their prosecutions were driven by political motives to punish allies of President Trump after the Capitol attack.
- The complaint accuses the Justice Department and FBI of manipulating evidence, intimidating witnesses and surveilling their defense strategy.
- All five defendants were convicted in 2023 on charges including seditious conspiracy and received prison terms of 10 to 22 years before being pardoned by President Trump in January 2025.
- The Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol left five people dead and injured about 140 police officers as rioters attempted to block Congress from certifying President Biden’s election victory.