WASHINGTON — A DC Police lieutenant was indicted Thursday on four counts alleging he tipped off Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio about an investigation into him and lied to the FBI about their communications.
Lt. Shane Lamond was placed on leave last year over questions about his relationship with the Proud Boys’ leader following the indictment of Tarrio and four other members of the group on seditious conspiracy charges. Earlier this month, a jury convicted Tarrio and three of his lieutenants of seditious conspiracy and other felony charges for plotting to incite violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
During the four-month trial, Tarrio’s attorneys repeatedly held up his communications with Lamond, who was the head of the DC Police Department’s intelligence branch in late 2020 and early 2021, as evidence that he intended to cooperate with law enforcement. Tarrio’s attorneys had hoped to call Lamond as a key witness in their defense, but were unable to do so after his attorney informed them he would invoke his right against self-incrimination due to the ongoing investigation.
On Thursday, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Lamond on one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements. All four counts are felonies. Under D.C. law, obstruction of justice carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The obstruction count stems from an investigation into the Proud Boys’ burning of a Black Live Matter flag stolen from the Asbury United Methodist Church in D.C. following a rally in support of former President Donald Trump in December 2020. Tarrio eventually pleaded guilty to burning the flag and possession of two large-capacity magazines and was sentenced to five months in prison.
Prior to his arrest, however, prosecutors say Lamond was passing along confidential police information about the investigation to Tarrio, including that he a warrant for his arrest was being prepared. Lamond is also accused of failing to provide his superiors with information he received from Tarrio, including that Tarrio had admitted his involvement in the flag burning to him. Lamond also allegedly told Tarrio he’d persuaded the department not to pursue hate crimes charges in connection to the incident.
“If anything I said it’s political but then I drew attention to the Trump and American flags that were taken by antifa and set on fire,” Lamond wrote in a message to Tarrio on Dec. 18, 2020. “I said all those would have to be classified as hate crimes too.”
Between Dec. 18, when Tarrio admitted to the flag burning, and Jan. 4, when he was arrested, prosecutors say he and Lamond communicated via a messaging application with self-destruct timers at least 145 times. Of those, they said, at least 101 messages were destroyed.
After Jan. 6, prosecutors say Lamond used his law enforcement contacts to get a list of the people being questioned in connection to the Proud Boys’ role in the riot and voiced his support to the group to Tarrio.
“Of course, I can’t say it officially, but personally I support you all and don’t want to see your group’s name or reputation dragged through the mud,” Lamond wrote on Jan. 8, 2021.
In June 2021, Lamond was interviewed by the FBI about his contacts with Tarrio. According to the indictment, he made false and misleading statements during that interview about his relationship with the Proud Boys leader, including denying he’d tipped Tarrio off to the investigation about the flag burning and that a warrant had been prepared for his arrest. Lamond also allegedly failed to tell the FBI that Tarrio had identified an associate who was present at the Capitol on Jan. 6 to him or that he’d previously made comments about attending events in D.C. that day.
Lamond was taken into custody Friday morning and made his initial appearance that afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui. His attorney, Mark E. Schamel, appeared remotely via Zoom. Schamel said they had been in communications with the Justice Department about possible charges for months but had last heard from prosecutors in December.
"This came as a little bit of a shock yesterday," he said.
Lamond was granted pretrial release on standard conditions without opposition from prosecutors. He was ordered to surrender his passport and not to possess a firearm while he awaits trial — which his attorney suggested they would like to fast-track.
"There was a press release [from the DOJ] this morning. I've already been contacted by every news organization in the world," he said. "We need to get this case to trial."
Lamond's case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Amy B. Jackson, who also presided over the prosecution of former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Michael Angelo Riley. Riley was charged with two counts of obstruction for tipping off a Capitol riot suspect to delete a potentially incriminating Facebook post and convicted last year on one count for deleting their communications. Jackson sentenced Riley in April to a period of home incarceration and two years of probation. Riley is appealing his conviction.
Lamond was suspended last February when the DC Police department began an internal investigation into his contacts with Tarrio. Following his arrest Friday, the department issued this statement:
"Today, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) member was arrested on charges stemming from providing false statements to federal investigators during their ongoing investigation into the incident at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Lieutenant Shane Lamond, a twenty-four year veteran of MPD, was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements. Details related to his improper conduct will be made available during the court proceedings. We understand this matter sparks a range of emotions, and believe the allegations of this members actions are not consistent of our values and our commitment to the community.
This is only part of the process, and upon conclusion of the criminal proceedings, our agency will complete an internal investigation into this incident. Our intentions are to remain transparent while affording a fair process to the involved member. Lamond was removed from his assignment and placed on administrative leave in early February 2022 as MPD cooperated with the federal investigation from the onset of this investigation."
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