Far-right Proud Boys sue US government for $100m over January 6 convictions
Five members of the far-right group Proud Boys have filed a lawsuit that claims their rights were violated during their prosecutions over their part in the US Capitol riots in 2021.
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The lawsuit accuses prosecutors of "evidence tampering" and "witness intimidation" and alleges their prosecution was "corrupt and politically motivated".
It alleges the five leaders of the Proud Boys were victims of "egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system".
The lawsuit was filed by Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola.
The five men were convicted of planning and participating in the January 6 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of US President Donald Trump. The attack aimed to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, where Mr Trump lost to Joe Biden.
The sentences of all five men were pardoned or commuted by Mr Trump earlier this year.
The men claim their constitutional rights were violated when they were prosecuted for their part in the riots.
The lawsuit was filed in Orlando federal court against the US Department of Justice, which is currently operating under the Trump administration.
Tarrio was found guilty of plotting the attack on the Capitol and was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the longest sentence of the five.
He was convicted of seditious conspiracy, a charge of plotting to overthrow the government, and multiple other charges.
The other four men were sentenced to prison time. Their sentences range from 10 to 22 years.
Tarrio said at a news conference on Friday that the lawsuit was "important to bring back law and order into our system".
The lawsuit also claims that: "The plaintiffs themselves did not obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, conspire to impede the police, or participate in civil disorder, nor did they plan for or order anyone else to do so."
The US president pardoned almost all of the more than 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol building when he returned to office in January of this year.
He has described January 6 as a "day of love." The attacks have been widely condemned by lawmakers.
Approximately 1,583 defendants have been charged with crimes associated with the Capitol riot, according to figures released by the department in January.
More than 600 were charged with assaulting, resisting or obstructing law enforcement officers, including around 175 charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury.
Stewart Rhodes, who founded the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government militia, was given an 18-year prison sentence after being found guilty of seditious conspiracy. He was also later pardoned. He told Sky News he was convicted in a "show trial".
Donald Trump's pardons of those convicted in the riots have been strongly criticised by Democrats.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was among politicians forced to flee the Capitol during the riot, called the pardons "an outrageous insult to our justice system".