The five defendants are members of one of the nation’s best-known far-right groups and are accused of helping to lead the assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The charge of seditious conspiracy is the same as in a recent trial of members of the Oath Keepers militia, but the Proud Boys defendants are accused of a central role in the fighting at the Capitol.
Defense lawyers and the Justice Department are clashing over possible testimony from a member of the Washington, D.C., police force who was in close touch with the far-right group’s leader before Jan. 6.
In filings in the seditious conspiracy case against members of the far-right group, defense lawyers claimed that information favorable to their clients was improperly withheld by the government until recently.
An amended federal indictment charged five members of the far-right group, including Enrique Tarrio, its former leader, with seditious conspiracy for their roles in the Jan. 6 assault.