Unresponsive lawyer for Jan. 6 defendants leaves cases at a standstill, prosecutors say

An attorney representing a number of those charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack has been unresponsive to prosecutors for a week, the government said.

The Justice Department on Monday alerted several federal judges that an outspoken attorney representing at least 17 alleged rioters charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is reportedly hospitalized and possibly incapacitated after testing positive for COVID-19, leaving the bulk of his cases effectively at a "standstill" and his clients "without counsel." The California-based attorney, John Pierce, currently represents more defendants charged in the riot than any other defense lawyer -- including multiple alleged members of the Proud Boys group and a number of individuals accused of assaulting law enforcement officers. Pierce, whose firm has previously represented former President Donald Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani and Trump's former campaign adviser George Papadapoulos, had been fundraising for his efforts defending accused rioters through a new organization he set up. But in a filing made Monday in multiple Jan. 6 cases in which Pierce is involved, the Justice Department said that Pierce has been unresponsive to the government for a week, and that phone numbers for his practice have been disconnected.