Texas Militia Member Gets 87 Months In Prison For Jan 6. Riots—Longest Sentence So Far

Topline

Guy Reffitt, a recruiter for the far-right Texas Three Percenters militia group who prosecutors say brought a semiautomatic pistol and zip ties to the January 6 Capitol attack, was sentenced to 87 months in prison on Monday, according to multiple reports, marking the longest sentence to date out of more than 175 Capitol riot defendants.

Key Facts

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich imposed a much less severe sentence than the 15 years sought by the Justice Department, which alleged Reffitt planned to use a firearm and zip ties to forcibly remove lawmakers from the Capitol and take over Congress.

Freidrich, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, denied a request from the Justice Department to apply a terrorism enhancement to Reffitt’s sentencing—which would effectively rule his behavior constituted domestic terrorism—because she said it would result in a sentence far more harsh than those for other January 6 defendants, some of whom were charged with assaulting police, according to Politico.

During the sentencing Monday, Reffitt told the judge he “f***ed up,” adding he wanted to “make multiple apologies” and called himself an “idiot,” according to NBC News.

The sentencing comes five months after Reffitt—who was the first of all Capitol rioters to stand trial for his involvement in the insurrection—was found guilty of five felony counts in March, including transporting a firearm in furtherance of a civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, entering or remaining in a restricted area or grounds with a firearm and and obstructing officers during a civil disorder.

Key Background

Prosecutors allege Reffitt played a “central role” in guiding a mob and overwhelming officers on January 6. They also allege Reffitt texted friends about plans to drag House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other lawmakers out of the Capitol. After police officers sprayed Reffitt with pepper spray, he ultimately did not enter the Capitol building, but encouraged others to do so, according to authorities. During Reffitt’s trial in March, prosecutors shared text messages, audio recordings from Reffitt’s son as well as video footage taken by Reffitt during the insurrection in which he said he wanted to “see Pelosi’s head hit every f***ing stair on the way out” of the Capitol. Reffitt’s attorney asked for two years in prison, arguing the defendant did not commit any acts of violence and had no criminal history. Reffitt’s sentence comes a week after Mark Ponder—a man who admitted to assaulting police officers on January 6—became the second defendant to receive 63 months in prison, which was the longest sentence for Capitol rioters at the time. Robert Palmer, who allegedly threw a fire extinguisher and other objects at police, was also sentenced to 63 months last December.

Tangent

Reffitt was arrested in January 2021 after his 19-year-old son, Jackson, submitted a tip to the FBI about his father’s plans for the riots. Jackson testified during his father’s trial in March that his dad had threatened his children not to turn him in, saying if they did, they would be “traitor[s]” and “traitors get shot.” Jackson also shared recordings in which his father admitted to bringing a firearm to the Capitol.

Big Number

More than 800. That’s how many have been charged so far for their alleged involvement in the January 6 riots. More than 200 defendants have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor and felony charges.

Further Reading

1st Capitol rioter to stand trial faces sentencing (ABC News)

Texas man guilty on all counts in first Capitol riot trial (Texas Tribune)

What Happened to the Jan. 6 Insurrectionists Arrested Since the Capitol Riot (Time)

Capitol rioter Guy Reffitt gets longest Jan. 6 sentence, but no terrorism enhancement (NBC News)