At least 40 undercover police officers, informants, and federal agents monitored the Proud Boys on Jan. 6, 2021, a new federal court filing alleges.
Proud Boys defendant Dominic Pezzola filed a motion on April 5 seeking to compel federal prosecutors to “reveal all informants, undercover operatives and other confidential human sources [CHSs] relating to the events of Jan. 6.”
The motion—filed by attorney Roger Roots—alleges that most of the law enforcement officials watching the Proud Boys in Washington on Jan. 6 were not with the FBI.
The largest group of confidential human sources [informants] was being run by Homeland Security Investigations, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the document states.
“DC Metro Police had at least 13 undercover plain-clothes agents among the Proud Boys and other patriots on Jan. 6,” the motion said. “Next, there appear to have been some 19 CHSs on Jan. 6 belonging to an agency called HSI (Homeland Security Investigations).
“When added to the eight FBI CHSs now acknowledged by the prosecutors, this means that there were at least 40 undercover informants or agents doing surveillance among defendants on Jan. 6.”
According to the HSI website: “HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move.
“HSI’s mission is to investigate, disrupt and dismantle terrorist, transnational, and other criminal organizations that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States.”
Refers to MPD Operatives
The motion cites information revealed in recent court filings by Jan. 6 defendant William Pope of Topeka, Kansas, who disclosed several undercover MPD officers whom prosecutors acknowledge were acting as provocateurs near and on the northwest steps at the Capitol.
“Pezzola submits that the entire defense in this trial, including opening, cross, and defense cases, would have been different and much more aggressive if defense counsel had known of the scope and scale of undercover government operations on Jan. 6,” Roots said.
