The first federal trial following the January 6 Capitol protests ended in the conviction of one of the protesters, Guy Wesley Reffitt, on March 8.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, prosecutors stated Reffitt “lit the match that started the fire” in the events at the U.S. Capitol.
The Texas man, whose trial began March 6, was found guilty on all five counts of attempting to interfere with Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote for President Biden, hindering police officers’ efforts to guard the Capitol, armed trespassing, and threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement after the breach.
Jackson, Reffitt’s 19-year-old son testified that his father intimidated him and his 16-year-old sister by saying, “if you turn me in, you’re a traitor, and traitors get shot.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower noted, “Every step he (Reffitt) took up the railing, the crowd came with him. The crowd was energized and cheered him on,” adding, “He was ecstatic about what he did, about what the mob did.”
William Welch, the attorney representing Reffitt, argued that his client should face only trespassing charges because he did not enter the Capitol, commit any actual violence, or damage property.
Reffitt was not accused of physically entering the Capitol, but of fueling the crowd to challenge officers who protected the Senate wing. Police said Reffitt withdrew from the attack after he was incapacitated with tear gas, but he admitted to waving on other rioters who eventually breached the building.
After the verdict, Reffitt’s wife, Nicole, said the court’s decision went “against all American people,” commenting, “If [people are] going to be convicted on [their] First Amendment rights, all Americans should be wary. This fight has just begun.”
U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves in Washington commended the jury “for upholding the rule of law and for its diligent service in this case.”
Since the protest on the Capitol, more than 750 people have faced charges for federal crimes. Of those individuals, more than 220 of them have pleaded guilty, primarily to misdemeanors, and over 110 of them have been sentenced. An estimated ninety others still have trial dates.
