A federal court has convicted former D.C. police lieutenant Shane Lamond of obstructing justice and lying during the investigation of Proud Boys interactions.
According to the Washington Post, Shane Lamond was found guilty of alerting Proud Boys' leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio about an arrest warrant regarding a Black Lives Matter banner desecration.
Shane Lamond, who served 24 years in the D.C. police department, faced charges of obstructing justice and making false statements before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson. His trial focused on his actions during the periods leading up to the January 6 Capitol riot, where he communicated with extremist groups, notably the Proud Boys.
Lamond, at the time head of the police's intelligence unit, was accused of tipping off Tarrio about an impending arrest for burning a Black Lives Matter banner during a December pro-Trump rally. This banner had been stolen from a historic African American church in D.C.
Throughout the trial, it was revealed that Lamond denied these allegations during an interview with investigators from the U.S. attorney's office, falsely claiming he hadn’t informed Tarrio about the ongoing inquiries or the arrest warrant.
Extensive Communications Revealed Between Officer And Extremist Leader
Judge Jackson, in overseeing the trial, criticized Lamond's actions as “self-serving justifications,” noting that instead of using Tarrio as an informant, Lamond was actually feeding him sensitive information. Evidence presented showed that Lamond and Tarrio exchanged 676 texts, encrypted chats, or voice messages from July 2019 to January 2021, with over 100 communications being deleted and unrecoverable.
Among the numerous messages exchanged, Lamond informed Tarrio of the progress of the investigation into the flag burning incident on specific dates. Defense attorney Mark Schamel contended that Lamond’s interactions were legitimate components of police intelligence work.
However, the judge described Lamond’s actions as far exceeding the bounds of his role, providing Tarrio with information rather than gathering intelligence. On several occasions in December 2020, messages like “Need to switch to encrypted. Alerts are being sent out to LE” and detailed updates about the ongoing investigation were sent by Lamond to Tarrio.
Judge Criticizes Defense Arguments As ‘Laughable’
The trial also featured Tarrio as a defense witness, where he claimed to have deduced his impending arrest independently of Lamond. Nonetheless, Judge Jackson described Tarrio’s testimony as “flippant, grandiose, and obnoxious” and found it neither logical nor credible.
Quoting the judge, “Whatever the relationship had been before, after the banner burning the defendant was not using Tarrio as a source; it was the other way around. He knew then, and he knows now, that it was wrong,” demonstrating the court’s stance on Lamond’s misleading conduct towards the investigators.
Ultimately, the judgment brings to focus the integrity of police operations and their interaction with extremist groups, particularly during politically charged events leading to the infamous January 6 insurrection.
Sentencing Set For Spring As Community Reacts
Lamond’s defense argued that his actions were misunderstood and unfairly portrayed. “It’s unbelievably disappointing to see every single thing that Lieutenant Lamond did viewed through a lens to make it appear something other than it was. There is nothing disloyal about him at all,” Schamel argued, defending the former lieutenant’s long service in the police force.
The verdict has drawn attention to the need for strict adherence to law enforcement protocols and the consequences of violating them. Judge Jackson has scheduled sentencing for April 3, with Lamond facing up to 30 years for the obstruction charge and up to five years for each count of making false statements.
As the case concludes, the wider implications for police ethics and the handling of extremist groups are likely to resonate within law enforcement and judicial circles, further scrutinizing the balance between intelligence gathering and operational integrity.
