Five leaders of the Proud Boys filed a federal lawsuit Friday seeking $100 million in damages from the U.S. government, claiming their constitutional rights were violated during prosecutions related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. The plaintiffs—Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola—were all previously convicted, with four found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
All five were later pardoned in Donald Trump‘s sweeping clemency of Jan. 6 participants. Their suit, which names FBI and DOJ officials, alleges they were targets of “egregious and systemic abuse” for being Trump supporters.
The lawsuit places the Trump administration in a complicated position: either defend the original prosecutions or compensate the extremist group using taxpayer money.
Before their pardons, Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years—the longest Jan. 6 sentence issued. Nordean received 18 years, Biggs 17, Rehl 15, and Pezzola 10. Pezzola was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted of other major felonies, including obstruction and conspiracy against federal authorities.
The Department of Justice has not commented on the lawsuit.
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