First Capitol Rioter to Face Trial Will get 7 Years, Longest Sentence So Far

WASHINGTON — A federal decide on Monday sentenced Man Wesley Reffitt, the primary defendant to go on trial within the Justice Division’s sprawling legal inquiry into the Jan. 6 assault, to greater than seven years in jail, the longest sentence to this point in a case stemming from the Capitol riot.

After a six-hour listening to, Choose Dabney L. Friedrich handed down a sentence on the low finish of the rule of thumb vary. She famous that was nonetheless considerably longer than any given to this point to any of the greater than 800 folks arrested in reference to the riot, lots of whom have struck plea bargains.

Prosecutors had requested that Mr. Reffitt be given 15 years after including a sentencing enhancement utilized in circumstances of home terrorism. However Choose Friedrich rejected these phrases, sentencing him to seven years and three months in jail with three years of probation, and ordering him to pay $2,000 in restitution and obtain psychological well being therapy.

A jury discovered Mr. Reffitt responsible on 5 felony costs in March, together with obstructing Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election, carrying a .40-caliber pistol in the course of the riot and two counts of civil dysfunction. Not like others who breached the constructing, Mr. Reffitt didn’t go inside.

The sentencing capped a trial that was seen as an essential check for the Justice Division, which is just starting the marathon means of attempting what could possibly be scores of rioters. Specifically, prosecutors and protection legal professionals had been watching to see how the obstruction cost, a not often used depend central to most of the circumstances but to succeed in trial, would maintain up in courtroom.

However Choose Friedrich described Mr. Reffitt’s case as uncommon on account of threats of violence he made in opposition to his youngsters when he found he is perhaps swept up within the federal investigation following the riot. In March, Mr. Reffitt’s son, Jackson Reffitt, took the stand to testify that his father had grow to be radicalized within the months main as much as the assault, and had threatened each him and his sister in an try and dissuade them from chatting with authorities, telling them that “traitors get shot.”

Earlier than Monday, the longest sentence in a case associated to the assault on the Capitol was simply over 5 years, given final yr to a person who had pleaded responsible to assaulting an officer with a hearth extinguisher. However as a result of Mr. Reffitt didn’t plead responsible like lots of of others arrested in reference to the assault and went to trial, Choose Friedrich mentioned, the sentencing pointers for his case had been two years greater than if he had reached a plea deal.

The sentence comes as a parallel investigation being carried out by the Home Jan. 6 committee has been gaining momentum. As courts slowly course of the lots of of circumstances associated to the riot, hypothesis has grown as to how the Justice Division will reply to the committee’s findings about former President Donald J. Trump and people in his internal circle who helped instigate it, and whether or not the committee will formally suggest legal costs.

After briefly showing hesitant to handle the courtroom on Monday, Mr. Reffitt, wearing an orange jumpsuit together with his hair pulled again into a skinny ponytail, supplied an apology for his actions.

“I did wish to positively apologize,” he mentioned. “In 2020, I used to be slightly loopy, every part went slightly silly.”

However Choose Friedrich mentioned that though she appreciated his sentiment, she doubted his sincerity, provided that whereas in jail awaiting sentencing, he apparently had raised funds off his incarceration, releasing politically charged statements “doubling down” on his claims and a “manifesto” he had dictated to his household by cellphone.

Mr. Reffitt conceded that he had usually resorted to “hyperbole,” however mentioned that any inflammatory claims he had made had been supposed to attract donations to help his household financially.

Within the months earlier than and after the 2020 election, Mr. Reffitt received concerned with the Texas Three Percenters, a loosely organized militia motion, and despatched messages recruiting others within the group to accompany him to Washington on Jan. 6.

As a part of his sentence, Choose Friedrich instructed him to not contact any members of the Three Percenters or different militia teams whereas on probation.

In remaining remarks, Choose Friedrich made a degree to emphasize that whereas Mr. Reffitt’s actions weren’t as violent as many others who had attacked cops on Jan. 6, they nonetheless put lots of of individuals in peril.

Whereas Mr. Reffitt repeatedly described himself and different rioters who stormed the capitol as “patriots” in statements from jail, Choose Friedrich known as their conduct the “antithesis of patriotism.”

“Not solely are they not patriots, they’re a direct risk to our democracy and can be prosecuted as such,” she mentioned.