A Florida man charged with interfering with police during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol is connected to a “network” of supporters who have helped other Capitol riot defendants avoid capture by the FBI, prosecutors said in a court filing this week.

A federal judge on Thursday ordered Thomas Paul Osborne to be released from a Florida jail while he awaits trial on charges that he grabbed a police officer’s baton during a mob’s attack on the Capitol. Before the judge ruled, a Justice Department prosecutor argued that Osborne poses a risk of fleeing after his Feb. 22 arrest.

Osborne harbored a Jan. 6 defendant, Christopher Worrell, who disappeared last year after he was convicted of assaulting police with pepper spray during the Capitol riot, prosecutors said. They believe Worrell, a member of the Proud Boys extremist group, lived at Osborne’s home in Lakeland, Florida, for roughly six weeks while on the run.

Prosecutors also cited Osborne’s ties to the family of Jonathan Pollock and Olivia Pollock — a brother and sister from Lakeland who were declared fugitives after getting charged with Capitol riot-related crimes. Osborne traveled to Washington, D.C., with the Pollocks and their parents to attend then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6.

The judge warned Osborne of the consequences if he flees.

“There is no point in running because you’re eventually going to get caught,” Mehta said during Thursday’s remote hearing. “Running only makes matters worse.”

  • littleblue✨
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    216 months ago

    Real talk: anyone who didn’t understand and assume this was the case all along has no idea what “insurrection” means, much less entails. 🤦🏼‍♂️

    • @ghostdoggtv
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      106 months ago

      DOJ are like the Harlem Globetrotters but instead of doing anything with the ball they just drop it

    • @shalafi
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      06 months ago

      Been following since Day 0. Been there, done that, got the PTSD. Had no idea these people were organized enough to hide one another.