WASHINGTON — The trial of a police officer accused of leaking sensitive information to Enrique Tarrio, the national leader of the Proud Boys, commenced Monday. Prosecutors portrayed Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Shane Lamond as a “double agent” who aligned himself with the far-right extremist group following an incident where its members burned a stolen Black Lives Matter banner in Washington, D.C. Federal prosecutor Joshua Rothstein asserted that Lamond provided Tarrio with critical updates, helping the group evade law enforcement actions.
Rothstein described Lamond as a “Proud Boys sympathizer” who alerted Tarrio about his impending arrest connected to the banner burning incident and subsequently misled investigators regarding their communications. Rothstein emphasized that Lamond was aware of the boundaries between right and wrong and recognized that lying to police constituted a crime.
Arrested in May 2023, Lamond faces a charge of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements. The trial will be judged by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson without a jury. In defense, Lamond’s attorney, Ana Jara, dismissed the characterization of him as a Proud Boys supporter, arguing that such statements were inflammatory and lacked accuracy. Jara claimed that prosecutors were presenting only selected communications between Lamond and Tarrio, devoid of relevant context.
Tarrio, who is serving a 22-year sentence after being convicted along with other Proud Boys leaders for seditious conspiracy linked to the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, might be a significant witness at Lamond’s trial. Judge Jackson mentioned that Tarrio was considering whether to testify, pending the outcome of last month’s presidential election. The President-elect, during his campaign, expressed intentions to consider pardoning individuals convicted in relation to the Capitol riot.
Tarrio had been arrested just days before the attack on the Capitol but was not present during the riot when Trump supporters interrupted the certification of President Biden’s electoral victory. He received a sentence exceeding five months for burning a banner taken from a historic Black church in D.C. and for possessing illegal firearm magazines.
Lamond met Tarrio in 2019 while working in the intelligence branch of the police department’s Homeland Security Bureau, where he had oversight responsibilities for monitoring extremist groups such as the Proud Boys. During Tarrio’s trial earlier this year, Lamond’s name surfaced multiple times, with evidence of their extensive messaging exchanges, indicating Lamond often referred to Tarrio as “hey brother.”
Rothstein accused Lamond of providing Tarrio with immediate updates on police investigations related to the December 2020 banner burning event, allowing the Proud Boys to stay ahead of law enforcement. In one message sent on Christmas 2020, Lamond informed Tarrio that police were seeking his identification from a photograph and suggested that a warrant for Tarrio’s arrest could be forthcoming. On the day of his own arrest, Tarrio conveyed the message to Proud Boys leaders that a warrant had “just been signed.”
Lamond’s indictment includes allegations that he misled federal agents during questioning about his interactions with Tarrio in June 2021, with Rothstein asserting, “The defendant knew the truth and chose to lie anyway.” The indictment also recounts that Lamond and Tarrio discussed concerns about potential criminal charges arising from the January 6 riot. Lamond allegedly expressed personal support for the group, saying he wanted to protect its reputation.
A resident of Stafford, Virginia, Lamond has been on administrative leave since February 2022. The first witness for the prosecution was Metropolitan Police Lt. Ahsan Mufti, who investigated the banner burning and helped secure the arrest warrant for Tarrio. Mufti noted that Lamond had not disclosed that Tarrio had confessed to him regarding the banner, which could have aided his investigation. However, he acknowledged that Tarrio made a public confession on social media prior to his arrest. Under cross-examination, Mufti confirmed that Lamond had indeed assisted in identifying Tarrio’s image and voice, leading to a defense inquiry affirming Lamond’s helpfulness in the investigation.
