Capitol rioter and Proud Boy leader Dominic Pezzola, who was arrested over his role in the January 6 Capitol attack, wants to be released ahead of trial, but his argument was rejected by a federal judge.
As reported by WUSA9, Pezzola filed a motion through his Attorneys Marty Tankleff and Steven Metcalf, who argued that “Pezzola’s constitutional rights are being violated by the restrictions the D.C. Jail places on his access to the voluminous evidence in the case,” citing the Department of Justice saying it has already identified more than 2,300 hundred hours of body-camera footage alone, and another 7,000 hours of video from the U.S. Capitol Police.”
But federal Judge Timothy Kelly swatted aside the motion, ruling that this argument has no precedent in law.
“There’s no case in which a judge reached this conclusion,” said Kelly. “It has never been grounds, that I’ve been able to find, to say that the remedy is that I should release him, as opposed to fix the problem and get him access to the evidence and counsel.”
Pezzola, who allegedly stole a riot shield from a Capitol Police officer, is one of several Proud Boys facing serious charges in connection with the Capitol riot. A self-styled “Western Chauvinist” group, the Proud Boys have ties to white supremacy and are known for violent street brawls.
