A federal judge has granted the release of an accused January 6 rioter from Florida, who is alleged to have harbored a fugitive Proud Boy for a duration of six weeks. However, the defendant will be required to wear a GPS monitor while awaiting trial.
Thomas Paul Osborne, 40, faced an indictment on February 21 for four charges related to his actions during the Capitol building breach. The charges include felony civil disorder, entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a restricted area, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. According to prosecutors, Osborne grabbed an officer’s baton while attempting to obstruct the police officers who were defending the building and protecting the lawmakers inside.
According to a warrant, he was arrested in Lakeland, Florida on February 22. The Justice Department stated that the FBI had already included him on its “lookout” list. The AP reported that prosecutors sought to keep Osborne detained prior to his trial. During Osborne’s initial appearance post-arrest, U.S. Attorney Risha Asokan outlined a comprehensive list of reasons why.
According to Asokan’s statement to U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda Sansone, Osborne did not travel alone to Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021. He was accompanied by two individuals, Jonathan and Olivia Pollock, who are siblings from Lakeland. Interestingly, Osborne also worked at the Pollocks’ gun store in Florida.
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Both Jonathan Pollock and his sister were charged and subsequently fled. Jonathan Pollock evaded authorities for almost two-and-a-half years, while his sister managed to remain on the run for a full year before being apprehended. It is worth noting that Jonathan Pollock did not have an ankle monitor, unlike his sister who cut hers. The siblings, along with another accused rioter named Joseph Hutchinson, were arrested in January. They were located and apprehended while working on a ranch in central Florida.
Prosecutors did not accuse Osborne of assisting the Pollock family in their escape. However, they did express concerns about his close relationship with the Pollocks and his potential to be a flight risk. Asokan emphasized that their world revolved around a network of resources designed to avoid detection by law enforcement.
According to the speaker, the situation at hand is different from the typical scenario where individuals may lack community connections due to factors such as being from another country or having significant financial resources and frequent international travel. Instead, this particular case involves a proven network of individuals who have assisted defendants from the January 6th incident in evading legal consequences.
Osborne’s association with Proud Boy Christopher Worrell was particularly troubling.
According to Asokan, Worrell, who is from the same jurisdiction, was tried in a bench trial last summer and was found guilty on all counts for his participation in the January 6th riot. Before his sentencing, he removed his GPS monitor and left a letter for his girlfriend explaining that he had to leave.
Worrell vanished in August 2023, just days before he was set to be sentenced, according to Law&Crime. After weeks of searching, authorities located him, and the mystery surrounding his whereabouts started to unfold.
According to prosecutors, Worrell had been hiding at Osborne’s residence for about six weeks while he was on the run before his sentencing. The FBI later discovered this and conducted a search of Osborne’s home in December 2023, where they found some of Worrell’s belongings.
The memo reveals that text messages exchanged between Osborne and Worrell, as well as between Osborne and Worrell’s girlfriend, were also found.
Prosecutors stated that the collection was far from complete.
Osborne’s defense attorney contended that her client should not be linked with the Pollocks or Hutchinson since he neither fled nor evaded law enforcement. Ultimately, Sansone consented to detaining Osborne. However, when the case transitioned from the magistrate court to the federal district court in Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta overturned Sansone’s decision.
During the courtroom proceedings, Mehta conveyed a straightforward message to Osborne, emphasizing the futility of attempting to evade capture by stating, “Running away serves no purpose as you will inevitably be apprehended.”
The judge, appointed by Barack Obama, stated that running would only exacerbate the situation.
In a March 14th order, Osborne’s release conditions were determined by Mehta, assigning custody to his sister Cheryl Gordon and his father, Richard Osborne. As part of the conditions, Osborne will be under 24-hour home lockdown and must surrender his passport. He is restricted to staying in the Scranton, Pennsylvania area, where Gordon resides.
According to his release order, he is prohibited from having any contact with the Pollocks or Hutchinson, and he is also forbidden from possessing firearms. Similar to Worrell, he will be required to wear an ankle monitor.
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