Shane Lamond, a former lieutenant in the Washington, D.C., police department, has been found guilty of tipping off Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio about his impending arrest prior to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
According to the Washington Post, the court found Lamond guilty of obstructing justice and making false statements to cover up his involvement with Tarrio.
A 24-year veteran of the police force, Lamond faced charges due to his connection with Tarrio, an extremist leader. He was convicted of alerting Tarrio about arrest warrants and failing to disclose pertinent information during the investigation. His actions were scrutinized following Tarrio's own conviction and subsequent 22-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy related to the January 6 events.
Lamond was found guilty on multiple counts, including obstructing justice by disclosing information to Tarrio. Two days before the insurrection, he allegedly informed Tarrio of a pending arrest warrant associated with a prior incident involving the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020. The court assessed these actions as part of Lamond's misconduct.
The trial further revealed that within a period stretching from July 2019 to January 2021, Lamond and Tarrio exchanged 676 messages, some of which were crucial to the investigation but remained unrecoverable. This pattern of communication raised suspicions about the nature of their relationship and ultimately contributed to Lamond's conviction.
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson criticized Lamond for supposedly exploiting his police role to protect Tarrio. She firmly dismissed the narrative that Lamond was merely fulfilling his duties when he warned Tarrio about the Banner incident-related arrest. The judge noted that post-banner burning, "the defendant was not using Tarrio as a source; it was the other way around."
Judge Jackson highlighted several aspects of Lamond's defense as implausible, labeling comments such as the need to switch to encrypted messaging on pivotal days in 2020 as excessive and unjustified.
Evidence disclosed during the trial showed Lamond not only admitted to discussing police matters with Tarrio but described his actions as part of intelligence gathering. His defense argued that such communications were routine, yet the court found a significant disparity in how Lamond managed his relationships with figures from extremist groups. The interactions between D.C. police and these groups, particularly in 2020 and 2021, sparked wider concerns about bias.
The messages shared between the two included one where Lamond alerted Tarrio that the police wanted to discuss the banner incident, reflecting a preemptive measure to brief Tarrio on impending legal action. Additionally, on the day election results favoring Biden were announced, Lamond is said to have advised Tarrio to adopt encrypted channels.
Tarrio himself testified during Lamond's trial, though Judge Jackson found his statements unreliable, characterizing him as "one of the worst witnesses" due to his behavior in court. She noted Tarrio's testimony as lacking credibility, undermining the defense's portrayal of the relationship as standard police procedure.
Lamond's defense attorney, Mark Schamel, expressed disappointment at the perspective from which Lamond's actions were evaluated, stating that they had been misinterpreted. Despite these assertions, the ruling held Lamond accountable for his decisions to share sensitive information.
Complicating Lamond's defense, evidence presented in court revealed that he conveyed personal support to Tarrio, including a note dated January 8, 2021, which acknowledged backing Tarrio personally. Such exchanges illuminated the depth of the association, challenging claims that these interactions were solely professional.
Lamond will face sentencing on April 3 and could potentially receive a substantial prison term for his actions. His conviction serves as a reminder of the complexities law enforcement officials encounter in managing interactions with extremist groups.
