Federal prosecutors are seeking to give the first Jan. 6 rioter convicted by a jury up to 15 years in prison, which would be the longest sentence handed to a Capitol riot defendant thus far.
If granted, Guy Reffitt, a recruiter for the Three Percenters militia group who helped lead the charge during the Jan. 6 riot, would face a sentence that is one-third longer than the nine-to-11-year sentence recommended under federal guidelines. The proposal also sets the scene for similarly long sentences in future trials, following through with prosecutors’ threats to seek enhanced penalties.
FINAL PLANNED JAN. 6 HEARING TO FOCUS ON 187 MINUTES OF TRUMP INACTION, MEMBER SAYS
“For Defendant Guy Reffitt’s central role in leading a mob that attacked the United States Capitol while our elected representatives met in a solemn Joint Session of Congress — including his intention to use his gun and police-style flexicuffs to forcibly drag legislators out of the building and take over Congress, and his later threats to harm his children if they turned him into the FBI — the government respectfully requests that this Court sentence him to 15 years of incarceration,” the court filing reads.
A jury unanimously convicted Reffitt on March 8 for his involvement in the Capitol riot on five charges, including two counts of civil disorder and one count each of obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a firearm, and obstruction of justice. He was the first Jan. 6 defendant to stand trial.
Reffitt’s attorneys requested a new trial shortly after, arguing the court did not present sufficient evidence and casting doubt on testimony from government officials and other witnesses, such as Reffitt’s son. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich rejected that plea.
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The proposed 15-year sentence would be triple the time of the current longest one, a five-year sentence handed to Jan. 6 rioter Robert Palmer last December. Reffitt faces sentencing on Aug. 1.
More than 850 people have been arrested in connection to the attack on Jan. 6, and 260 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the Justice Department.
