First Capitol riot defendant to stand trial found guilty on all counts News
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First Capitol riot defendant to stand trial found guilty on all counts

A jury found January 6 Capitol rioter Guy Reffitt guilty Tuesday on all five counts he faced in the first federal trial related to the riot.

Reffitt was found guilty of carrying a holstered handgun onto restricted grounds of the Capitol, transporting guns to Washington, D.C., obstructing Congress’ joint session to certify the Electoral College vote, interfering with police officers who were guarding the Capitol, and obstructing justice by threatening his children if they reported him to law enforcement following the riot.

Reffitt had driven from his Texas home to D.C. with an AR-15-style rifle and semiautomatic handgun. Reffitt went to the Capitol with a handgun, a helmet, body armor, a radio, and flex cuffs. Reffitt breached the Capitol’s barricaded grounds but was not accused of entering the Capitol building.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors during the closing argument that Reffitt drove to D.C. with intent to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Berkower asserted that Reffitt “lighted [the] crowd into an unstoppable force,” resulting in the mob overwhelming Capitol police officers near the Senate doors.

Reffitt’s trial was the first federal trial among hundreds of cases related to the riot. Gregg Sofer, who formerly served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, stated that Reffitt’s trial would be “the canary in the coal mine” prior to the trial. “If you’re a defendant awaiting trial at this point, the canary just died,” Sofer stated, regarding Reffitt’s guilty verdict. “I do think it is likely to affect people’s perceptions about the likelihood of their successes.”

In response to the guilty verdict, Reffitt’s wife, Nicole Reffitt, stated “they are making a point out of Guy, and that is to intimidate the other members of the 1/6ers. And we will all fight together.”

“Today a jury in the District of Columbia held Guy Reffitt accountable for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021,” Matthew Graves, the U.S. Attorney for D.C. who leads the Justice Department office prosecuting all January 6 cases, said in a statement. “I would like to thank the jury for upholding the rule of law and for its diligent service in this case.”

The maximum sentence for obstruction of Congress and obstruction of justice, Reffitt’s most severe charges, is 20 years in prison. Reffitt is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8.

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