A Retired Washington, DC, police officer He was convicted on Monday of lying to authorities about leaking classified information to the leader of the far-right Proud Boys.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson convicted former Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Shane Lamond, who oversaw the intelligence arm of the police department's Homeland Security Bureau, of obstruction of justice and making false statements after a trial without a jury.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Sentencing was scheduled for April 3 after Lamond was found guilty on all four counts. He was accused of leaking information to then-Proud Boys national president Enrique Tarrio, who was under investigation for the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner.
At his bench trial, Lamond testified that he had never provided sensitive police information to Tarrio. Tarrio testified as a witness in Lamond's defense and said that he did not confess to burning the banner to Lamond and did not receive any confidential information from him.
But the judge did not find Lamond or Tarrio's testimony credible. Jackson said the evidence indicated Lamond was not using Tarrio as a source after burning the banner.
“It was the other way around,” she said.
The judge said the messages Lamond and Tarrio exchanged over the course of months revealed a pattern: “Lamond and Tarrio talk, and Tarrio quickly relays what he learns,” Jackson said. .
He referred to Tarrio as a “terrible witness” who was “flippant, pompous and obnoxious” on the stand.
Jackson said, “He was one of the worst people I had the opportunity to sit with during my tenure on the bench.”
After the verdict, defense attorney Mark Schamel said it was too early to say whether there would be an appeal.
“It's incredibly disappointing to see every single thing that Lt. Lamond has done through a lens to make it seem like he's something else,” Schamel said outside the courtroom. “There's nothing treacherous about him, and it's a sad day for him.”
tario finally pleaded guilty For burning a banner stolen from a historic Black church in downtown Washington in December 2020.
He was later sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, which prosecutors described as a plot to use force to keep Donald Trump in the White House after the 2020 election .
Lamond, who met Tarrio in 2019, had overseen the intelligence branch of the police department's Homeland Security Bureau. When groups like the Proud Boys came to Washington, he was responsible for monitoring them.
Tarrio was arrested in Washington two days ago Attack on Capitol on January 6The Miami resident was not at the Capitol when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building and caused disruption Congress count Electoral votes are being finalized Joe Biden's 2020 election victory,
Prosecutors said evidence at trial proved Lamond told Tarrio that a warrant had been signed for his arrest.
“Similarly, defendant affirmatively advised Mr. Tarrio in a written message that he was being asked to identify him for a warrant, which is clearly a warning to consider subsequent prosecution and With its obvious impact, Prosecutors wrote,
Lamond's indictment says he and Tarrio exchanged messages about the January 6 riot and discussed whether Proud Boys members were at risk of being charged in the attack.
“Of course I can't say this officially, but personally I support you all and don't want to drag your group's name and reputation through the mud,” Lamond wrote.
Lamond said he was troubled that a prosecutor labeled him a “sympathizer” of the Proud Boys who “doubled down” for the group after Tarrio burned a stolen Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020. Acted as “agent”.
Lamond testified, “I do not support the Proud Boys, and I am not a supporter of the Proud Boys.”
Lamond said he considered Tarrio a source, not a friend. But he said he tried to build friendly relations with the group leader to gain his trust.
Justice Department prosecutor Joshua Rothstein pointed to messages that suggest Lamond provided Tarrio with “real-time updates” on the police investigation into the banner burning on December 12, 2020.
Lamond, 48, of Colonial Beach, Virginia, was charged with one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements. He retired in May 2023 after 23 years of service in the police department.