The first defendant to go to a jury trial on indictments stemming from the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot was found guilty of all charges on Tuesday.
A jury found Texas resident Guy Reffitt guilty more than a year after he participated in a riot led by supporters of former president Donald Trump, which delayed the certification of the Electoral College results. Reffitt was found guilty of five counts, among them carrying a firearm on U.S. Capitol grounds and interfering with police officers, as well as an obstruction of justice charge.
Reffitt was charged with obstruction after allegedly threatening his son and daughter not to report him to police. Jackson Reffitt, Guy’s son, testified earlier this week about how he reported his father to the FBI before the riot.
William Welch, Reffitt’s attorney, did not call any witnesses for the defense. While Welch cast doubt on the validity of the most serious indictments, the jury opted to convict on all charges after just three hours of deliberations.
Reffitt did not physically attack Capitol Police officers, nor did he enter the Capitol building itself, a fact noted during the trial. However, video played at the trial showed Reffitt leading a mob of people up the west steps of the Capitol to confront officers.
“I had every constitutional right to carry a weapon and take over Congress as we tried to do,” Reffitt later told his family in a recording.
Reffitt is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8. The most serious charge against him, obstruction of justice, carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
Over 200 people indicted in connection with the riot have already pleaded guilty to charges against them before heading to trial. In all, more than 800 people have been charged with crimes stemming from the riot.
Source: National Review
