- Members of far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have been charged in connection with the Capitol riot.
- Prosecutors on Monday in a court filing said leaders of the two groups met the day before the riot.
- Film crews were present when Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes met in an underground parking lot.
The leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, met with Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes in an underground parking lot for 30 minutes the day before the Capitol riot, and a film crew was there, prosecutors for the Justice Department said in a court filing.
The two far-right groups were present when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress was about to certify the election.
Reuters initially reported last month that the FBI was looking into a meeting between Tarrio and Rhodes that took place before the Capitol riot.
In the court filing on Monday, prosecutors were appealing to a magistrate to keep Tarrio detained pending his trial.
The filing also said the film crew picked up audio of someone referencing the Capitol. Tarrio was also picked up on the mic telling another individual that he was certain no one could get in and see the contents of his phone because he cleared the messages and there was a two-step process to get in the phone.
The day before this encounter, Tarrio had been stopped because of a search warrant related to charges of burning a Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020. In July 2021, Tarrio pleaded guilty to those charges. Tarrio was not in the Capitol on the day of the riot because he was barred from being in Washington, DC, as part of his bail for the flag-burning case.
Despite not taking part in the Jan. 6 riot, he was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice in relation to the January 6 Capitol riot, with prosecutors saying "he led the advance planning and reminded in contact with other members of the Proud Boys during their breach of the Capitol." He was indicted in connection to the riot last week.
Rhodes also faces seditious conspiracy charges in relation to the insurrection. He's pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have faced some of the most serious charges out over the over 750 people charged in relation to the Capitol riot.
The Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers were some of the first to overrun police lines and break into the Capitol building sending lawmakers into hiding. The new court filings suggest the leaders of the groups were more involved in the planning of the riot than previously known.
On Tuesday, Tarrio will have a hearing where a magistrate will determine if he should be released pending trial or remain detained.
An attorney for Tarrio declined to comment. An attorney for Rhodes did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.