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A Washington, D.C., police officer worked as a “double agent” ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, once tipping off the head of the Proud Boys about his impending arrest for burning a Black Lives Matter flag, prosecutors reportedly said Monday during opening statements at his trial.
Former D.C. Metro Police Department Lt. Shane Lamond also kept in close contact with Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 riot that interrupted the certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election, prosecutors allege. Lamond is charged with obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements to police about his conversations with Tarrio, who is now serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in organizing the riot. Lamond is undergoing a bench trial on the charges in front of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson.
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“Lamond leaked sensitive police information to a criminal suspect, and lied about it to investigators,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein told Berman, according to The Washington Post. “The evidence will show that the defendant was a Proud Boys sympathizer. The defendant became a double agent.”
Per the March 2023 indictment, Lamond was the head of MPD’s intelligence branch that monitored upcoming protests and rallies in D.C. when he and Tarrio started communicating regularly using the encrypted messaging app Telegram.
After Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election, Lamond allegedly sent a text message to Tarrio that said “Hey brother, sad, sad news today. You guys planning anything?” Lamond also allegedly tipped Tarrio off that law enforcement had been hearing chatter of Proud Boys saying they were “mobilizing” and planning on “taking back the country.” Lamond also allegedly kept Tarrio apprised of cops possibly shutting down a bar that was a Proud Boys hangout.
Tarrio and the Proud Boys held a rally on Dec. 12, 2020. That night, Tarrio stole a Black Lives Matter banner, burned it and later boasted about the feat on social media. Prosecutors said Tarrio and Lamond were in “regular contact” after the incident and spoke about the investigation. Tarrio allegedly spoke with fellow Proud Boys members about his “contact” with MPD. Lamond told Tarrio that cops were trying to obtain a warrant for his arrest, cops say.
On Jan. 4, 2021, Tarrio was flying from Florida to D.C. when Lamond allegedly changed his settings on Telegram so that messages would delete 10 seconds after being opened. Prosecutors believe the now disgraced cop told the Proud Boys leader that there had been a warrant signed for his arrest and that he would be taken into custody once in D.C. Lamond continued messaging Tarrio before and after the Jan. 6 riots about the police investigation, prosecutors said.
Lamond allegedly told Tarrio “Of course I can’t say it officially, but personally I support you all and don’t want to see your group’s reputation dragged through the mud.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office began investigating Lamond’s association with the Proud Boys in June 2021. Prosecutors claim Lamond lied about the way he communicated with Tarrio and denied feeding Tarrio confidential information about the banner burning investigation.
During Monday’s opening statements, Lamond’s attorney Ana Jara said describing her client as a Proud Boys sympathizer is “simply not true” and that prosecutors have “cherry-picked” messages between him and Tarrio. Lamond was simply working a source as a law enforcement officer, she said.
“Context matters, especially in conversations,” Jara said, according to The Associated Press.
The trial is expected to last three days.
