A federal judge adjourned the trial of five members of the extremist group Proud Boys on Wednesday after several defendants and prosecutors warned that the planned publication of a public report and the transfer of witnesses from the high-profile parliamentary inquiry into the Capitol on January 6, 2021 . U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Washington, DC, said in a hearing that he “reluctantly” decided to delay the August 8 scheduled trial of former Proud Boys President Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and four others for conspiracy. and other categories. , but acknowledged the strong concerns of prosecutors and defense lawyers that the Parliamentary Select Committee investigating the breach may reveal key facts they have not seen. The move to a trial now set for December came after a televised hearing in Parliament this month that focused in part on alleged Proud Boys’s actions amid what President Donald Trump’s potentially criminal behavior and others who falsely claimed that the 2020 election had been stolen. before the attack on Congress. Judge Proud Boys ruled Wednesday after senior Justice Department officials warned a lawyer for the House panel last week that they would not allow prosecutors access to nearly 1,000 transcripts of private witness interviews before their scheduled public hearing. , lawmakers complicated the “ability of prosecutors to investigate and prosecute those involved in criminal behavior.” “It is reasonably foreseeable that information relating to the guilt (or innocence) of the accused could soon be made public and in public,” Assistant Attorney General Eric Kennerson wrote on Tuesday. “The inability of the parties to prepare their respective cases to take this additional information into account is potentially detrimental – to all parties.” The prosecution team included last week’s letter to the commission from the heads of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for Washington in a court notifying Kelly that they agreed to the two defendants’ motion to adjourn. “Copies are needed to prepare for the trial; not during or after the trial,” attorney John D. Hull wrote of defendant Joseph Biggs of Ormond Beach. Fla., Who was with co-accused Dominic Pezzola, from Rochester, NY Hull also called for a delay until “the dust settles” on public opinion. A third defendant, Zachary Rehl of Philadelphia, did not want to delay the trial, but believed he had no choice if he wanted a fair one, attorney Carmen Hernandez told the court. “Sir. Reel is faced with Hobson’s choice again. Go to trial under conditions that will not allow a fair and impartial jury or you will remain in custody for an even longer period,” Hernandez said. “Mr Reel reiterates that there is only one right and proper thing to do – take the time it takes to ensure that unfair publicity is gone and that any information favorable to Mr Rele is available.” Two defendants objected to any delay. “Tarrio believes that an impartial jury will never be reached in Washington, whether the trial is in August, December or next year,” wrote lawyer Sabino Jauregui. Seattle’s Ethan Nordean objected to a delay unless he was released from pre-trial detention. Nordean attorneys David B. Smith and Nicholas D. Smith have argued that forcing their client to choose between a fair or a speedy trial after being jailed since April 2021 raises “suspicion that he is being held… no from his rule – legal basis of public safety, but to punish him before he is convicted or to force him to waive his right to a trial “. Kelly told both sides to prepare for the jury selection from December 12 and warned that he planned to hold a trial during the festive season, in addition to the federal Christmas and New Year holidays. “I do not think any of us would choose to start a four- to six-week trial on December 12,” the judge said, “but I think I owe it to the jury and I owe it to the parties to keep going as hard as I can.” I think that to a large extent we will continue without a break in the holidays “.
