St. Louis Man Connected to Proud Boys Facing Rape Charges

His lawyer says he will file for a dismissal if the Circuit Attorney's Office is not ready to proceed in July

Jun 1, 2023 at 1:13 pm

Screengrab of video taken by Ford Fischer

Luke Rohlfing

A St. Louis man who has been a very public member of the Proud Boys appeared in court this morning for a bond hearing as he faces rape charges in St. Louis city.

Lucas Rohlfing, 28, was previously vocal in his support of the Proud Boys, a far-right group whose leader was last month found guilty of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 riot at the Capitol. Rohlfing described the Proud Boys to the RFT in 2018 as "a pro-West organization ... We love America. We love Trump mostly. When it comes to things like masculinity, just being men, we promote family values." That same year, he was listed in the group's constitution and bylaws as one of the eight members of its Elders Chapter.

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Now Rohlfing and another assailant, Benton Park resident Nicholas McCormack, 34, are facing charges of rape or attempted rape and sodomy or attempted sodomy stemming from an incident that occurred in the Benton Park neighborhood last September.

A police probable cause statement says that on September 26, the alleged victim contacted police and told them that on the day prior she had "consumed a large quantity of alcohol and narcotics rendering her incapable of consent" and that Rohlfing and McCormack "engaged her in sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse."
The probable cause statement says that the alleged victim completed a sexual assault kit, and police took photographs of her injuries. She also identified Rohlfing and McCormack in a lineup.

McCormack was charged on April 14, followed by Rohlfing four days later. Both men were taken into custody and then released on bond.

At Rohlfing's hearing today, Judge Lynne Perkins allowed him to remain out on bond. Rohlfing's attorney, Mark Hammer, appeared via a video call and said it was his understanding that the alleged victim in the case is out of state and not cooperating with prosecutors.

The case will be taken before a grand jury in early July and is set for a preliminary hearing July 11. Hammer said that he would be filing a motion to dismiss if the Circuit Attorney's Office is not ready to proceed at that time.

After the hearing, Rohlfing referred questions about his case to Hammer, who did not return a call from the RFT.

McCormack is also facing additional drug trafficking charges in a separate case. In February 2022 police allegedly found more than 11 grams of cocaine in five individually wrapped bags as well as a digital scale on his person.