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An attorney who is representing 17 defendants accused of taking part in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach has disappeared, possibly suffering from COVID-19, according to an Aug. 30 court filing.
Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips said in a court document (pdf) that nearly 20 cases related to the Jan. 6 incident arenât proceeding after John Pierce, the lawyer for the defense, went missing.
Pierce is âreportedly ill with COVID-19, on a ventilator, and unresponsive,â according to the filing. Pierceâs law firm associate, Ryan Marshallâwho isnât a licensed attorneyâhas been appearing in Pierceâs place at court hearings and proceedings. Marshall was also the one who revealed Pierceâs alleged hospitalization and condition, the filing said.
The lawyer, who generally posts on Twitter several times per day, hasnât posted since Aug. 20.
âBecause Mr. Pierce is unavailable and Mr. Marshall cannot ethically or legally represent Mr. Pierceâs clients, the government is making the Court aware of Mr. Pierceâs reported illness so that it can take any steps it believes necessary to ensure the defendantâs rights are adequately protected while Mr. Pierce remains hospitalized,â Phillips said.
But later in the court filing, the U.S. attorneyâs office said it had obtained âconflicting information about Mr. Pierceâs health and whereabouts.â
When it was revealed publicly that Pierce was hospitalized with COVID-19, a report from NPR, citing unnamed sources, said that he may have been suffering from dehydration and exhaustion and that heâs believed to have symptoms related to COVID-19.
And a colleague of Pierce, Brody Womack, told Business Insider that Pierce âappears to have been suffering from dehydration and exhaustion in relation to his tireless work on behalf of his clients, including the many defendants he represents in connection with the January 6, 2021, protest at the Capitol.â
On Aug. 26, Marshall appeared in place of Pierce, telling a U.S. attorneyâs assistant that he hasnât had any contact with Pierce and noting that one of his friends âhad told him that Mr. Pierce was sick with COVID-19 and another had said he was not,â the filing states.
âFrom the governmentâs perspective, given Mr. Pierceâs reported illness and the fact that Mr. Marshall is not a licensed attorney, this case is effectively at a standstill,â Phillipsâ office stated.
Even though Marshall âhas been the governmentâs main or sole point of contact for many of the defendants represented by Mr. Pierce, the government does not believe it appropriate to continue to communicate with him in Mr. Pierceâs absence, during which he would necessarily be acting without supervision by a licensed attorney,â the court document reads.
Some of Pierceâs clients said theyâre starting to become concerned.
Paul Rae, an alleged Proud Boy from Florida who has pleaded not guilty, told ABC News on Aug. 30 that heâs âa bit concernedâ about his lawyerâs health and the overall situation regarding his representation. An associate of Pierce told him that the attorney isnât on a ventilator and that heâs recovering, Rae said.
âUnless Iâm being lied to, Iâm hearing âDonât be concerned,’â Rae told the network. âI donât know whatâs going on.â
The Epoch Times contacted Pierceâs office for comment. When reached for comment via telephone, the phone lines for his law firm appeared to be disconnected.