The former chief of the Metropolitan Police intelligence unit in Washington, Shane Lamond, was found guilty on Monday after being charged with providing information to a leader of the Proud Boys last year.
Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys, is serving a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office official, Lamond was found guilty on Monday of four charges, including obstruction of justice and three instances of lying to investigators, by U.S. Judge Amy Berman Jackson. The decision came after a bench trial in which Tarrio gave a scathing evidence, claiming that he had been lying to his fellow Proud Boys about getting information from a Metropolitan Police Department source at the same time.
During the trial, prosecutors contended that Lamond had turned into a “double agent” for the Proud Boys, informing Tarrio that he was wanted for the burning of a Black Lives Matter sign during Tarrio’s previous trip to Washington with the Proud Boys.
On the witness stand, Tarrio stated, “I can’t tell you I wanted to go to D.C. to get arrested; that sounds weird.” He clarified that he intended to go to Washington two days prior to January 6 in order to “get this over with and to set up a circus tent to use his arrest as a marketing ploy.”
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, stated that federal prosecutors demonstrated during the trial that Lamond “turned his job on its head providing confidential information to a source, rather than getting information from him lied about the conduct, and obstructed an investigation into the source.” According to Graves, Lamond’s “violation of the trust placed in him put our community more at risk and cannot be ignored.” Lamond was supposed to be a vital part of the community’s safety.
Lamond swore to uphold the law, according to FBI associate director David Sundberg, who oversees the Washington Field Office.
“Instead, he broke the law by providing confidential information to a source, obstructing an investigation into that source, and lying to federal investigators,” Sundberg stated. His conviction is evidence of the FBI’s efforts to hold public servants accountable for misusing their authority and confidence.
When Donald Trump assumes office in less than a month, he has promised to start pardoning Jan. 6 offenders. Sources in the Jan. 6 and law enforcement communities told NBC News that it’s evident Trump is not aware of the specifics of the cases, and it’s unknown if Tarrio is one of the more than 1,500 defendants charged and more than 1,100 convicted criminals who might be pardoned.
Lamond’s defense said that his communications with Tarrio were a part of his job, but prosecutors produced evidence in which Lamond wrote of his affinity for the Proud Boys, even after the Jan. 6 attack.
Prosecutors claim that Lamond wrote, “Of course I can’t say it officially, but personally I support you all and don’t want to see your group’s name or reputation dragged through the mud.”
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