Pattis representing Proud Boy member in Capitol riot case
Connecticut’s lightningrod criminal defense attorney, Norm Pattis, has found a new client in one of the Proud Boys leaders accused of plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election by storming the U.S. Capitol, according to federal court filings.
Pattis entered a motion of appearance Tuesday morning as an attorney for Joseph Biggs, who is one of the five members of the far-right Proud Boys movement to be charged with seditious conspiracy by a federal grand jury earlier this month.
Biggs, 38, was arrested in Florida last year following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob supporting former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
Pattis’ decision to represent Biggs comes amid new revelations about the events of Jan. 6 — as well as allegations that it was part of an organized coup attempt — that have been thrust into the spotlight by the start of a series of Congressional hearings into the attack.
According to the original indictment by federal prosecutors, Biggs was alleged to have been among the first group of rioters to breach the Capitol building as Congress conducted a formal count of electoral votes. In a subsequent interview with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Biggs admitted to entering the Capitol, but denied doing so by force, according to the indictment.
Within a month of the attack, Biggs was charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, entering a restricted building or grounds and violent and disorderly conduct. Biggs pleaded not guilty to each of those charges.
In a superseding indictment handed down earlier this month, Biggs was charged with the more serious offense of seditious conspiracy as part of an alleged group of Proud Boy
organizers who plotted to use force to block the peaceful transition of power following the election.
According to that indictment, Biggs was one of several Proud Boys members who were included in the group’s “National Rally Planning Committee,” which discussed potential actions ahead of Jan. 6, including the possibility of occupying several federal buildings.
Included in the indictment were private messages that Biggs allegedly sent to Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, complaining the group had been recruiting “losers,” and advocating
ahead of the Jan. 6 rally, “Let’s get radical and get real men.”
Biggs has also pleaded not guilty to the sedition charge, which carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Pattis did not immediately return messages seeking comment on Tuesday.
After gaining fame — and notoriety — for his years of work defending high-profile clients in local criminal cases, more recently Pattis has garnered attention for representing right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in a defamation lawsuit brought by the families of Sandy Hook victims.
In addition, he’s attracted controversy over his use of a racial slur during a standup comedy routine, as well as for making incendiary jokes online.
It was not immediately known Tuesday how Pattis became involved in Biggs’ case. The two both made separate appearances on the same episode of Jones’ show in 2019.
Earlier this month, Pattis and his co-counsel sought permission to be removed as Jones’ attorneys in the defamation case, citing a breakdown in communications with their client. A judge is expected to rule on that motion this week.