Former D.C. police lieutenant appeals conviction over communications with ex-Proud Boys leader

Shane Lamond, a former lieutenant in the Metropolitan Police Department, filed his last appellate brief seeking reversal of a conviction for one count of obstruction and three counts of making false statements. The charges arose from his alleged provision of nonpublic information to Enrique Tarrio during a 2020 inquiry into the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner. Lamond contends that the D.C. obstruction law was intended for judicial proceedings, not for a police investigation that had not yet led to charges, and that the false-statement allegations rely on ambiguous questioning and unverified messages.

The government, citing testimony from Lamond’s colleagues and his use of Telegram to delete communications, argues he acted corruptly to impede the investigation. A district judge had sentenced Lamond to 18 months, after which he was released to home confinement and is awaiting supervised release while the appeal proceeds. Oral arguments have not been set, but a panel could hear the case early next year.