Attorney cites Trump promise of pardons
A federal judge has paused the prosecution of a Newburgh man accused of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
On Nov. 20, Judge Carl Nichols indefinitely postponed the jury trial of Edwin Lang scheduled to begin this month. Lang argued that it was likely that Donald Trump would pardon him once he becomes president on Jan. 20. At the judge’s request, prosecutors requested a new trial date of Jan. 27.
Accused of multiple violent felonies, Lang has been incarcerated since his arrest 10 days after the riot. The FBI said he can be seen on videos attacking police officers with a bat.
William Pepe, a former Beacon resident who was convicted on Oct. 23 of a felony and four misdemeanors, on Nov. 11 asked for his case to be paused until Jan. 20 because of a potential pardon. His sentencing is scheduled for March 11. According to prosecutors, Pepe was the president of the Hudson Valley chapter of the Proud Boys and helped coordinate the attack. Now living in New Jersey, he remains free until sentencing.
In other pending cases, Gregory Purdy, a 2016 Carmel High School graduate living in Hopewell Junction, and his uncle, Robert Turner, each asked to be released from custody pending their sentencing because Trump has promised pardons. They also requested new trials. The three men were convicted in June.
On Monday (Nov. 25), a judge denied the motions and scheduled sentencing for Dec. 9. Purdy and Turner have been incarcerated since their felony convictions in June. Purdy’s younger brother, Matthew Purdy, convicted of two misdemeanors, was released and will also be sentenced on Dec. 9.
Christopher Finney of Hopewell Junction, arrested in February and charged with two felonies and five misdemeanors, agreed on Oct. 18 to plead guilty to a single felony count of obstructing, impeding or interfering with law enforcement. The judge has not scheduled sentencing.
According to the Justice Department, 1,561 individuals have been charged with crimes related to Jan. 6, including 590 accused of felonies for assaulting or impeding officers. That includes at least 10 men from Putnam and Dutchess counties and Newburgh. By one estimate, about 140 police officers were injured.
