Guy Reffitt: Texas Capitol rioter who threatened to shoot son who tipped off FBI gets more than 7 yrs in prison
Guy Wesley Reffitt, one of Donald Trump's admirers who attempted to storm the US Capitol while armed with a gun was sentenced to more than 7 years in prison on Monday, August 1, 2022. However, the judge denied the Justice Department’s request for a 'terrorism enhancement.' Reffitt reportedly threatened to shoot his own children if they turned him in, and called them "traitors". He was the fourth North Texan accused of being part of the mob that stormed the Capitol.
During the initial stages of the investigation, his wife, Nicole Reffitt told an FBI agent that Reffitt told his son and daughter, "If you turn me in, you're a traitor and you know what happens to traitors... traitors get shot," he allegedly said to his kids. He also added that he went to the Capitol to "protect the country." The Investigation team had a lot of evidence against him, including his friend’s testimony that Reffitt was carrying zip ties and that the duo had made a decision to carry guns because they’d rather be “tried by a jury of twelve than carried by six.” Reffitt was convicted on all five counts in March, including transport of a firearm in support of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, although he did not make it inside the Capitol or use physical violence because he was eventually incapacitated after charging the police line.
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What are the crimes committed by Reffitt during the Capitol rally?
Reffitt wore a camera on his body that recorded his violent rhetoric during the Trump rally that preceded the riot.“I’m taking the Capitol with everybody f*****g else,” Guy Reffitt said in his own recording, as “Tiny Dancer” played at Trump’s rally. “We’re all going to drag them motherf*****s out kicking and screaming, I don’t give a s**t. I just want to see Pelosi’s head hit every f*****g stair on the way out, and Mitch McConnell too, f**k ’em all... It’s time to take our country back... I think we have the numbers to make it happen.”He also recorded a Zoom meeting on his computer where he talked extensively about his actions. In this regard, he was convicted on five counts including transport of a firearm in support of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.
What happened in the court during the hearing?
As per sources, During the hearing on Monday, August 1, 2022, Reffitt described himself as “a f*****g idiot” and was “not thinking clearly” when he tried to storm the US Capitol. “I clearly f***** up,” Reffitt said. “I did want to definitely make an apology, multiple apologies really, and accept my responsibility because I do hate what I did,” he said. Reffitt was emotional during the whole court proceedings and stated, that he was a member of the Texas 3 Percenters, and no longer want to associate with militia groups or “or any stupid s**t like that.”
Jurors' Point of view
Judge, Dabney L Friedrich, a Trump appointee and a former member of the US Sentencing Commission, said that giving Reffitt a sentencing enhancement for carrying a gun during the commission of a crime and for committing a crime of domestic terrorism would create a sentencing disparity. “There are a lot of cases where defendants committed very violent assaults and even possessed weapons... that did not receive this departure,” Freidrich said. Prosecutors had claimed for an upward departure for terrorism was warranted because Reffitt was “planning to overtake our government.” “He wasn’t done,” said Assistant US Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said.”We do believe that what he was doing that day was terrorism, we do believe he is a domestic terrorist,” Nestler continued.
“This defendant has some frightening claims that border on delusional, and they are extraordinarily concerning for the court,” Freidrich said. “But other defendants did too. That’s the point I’m trying to make.” Nestler added. Under Friedrich’s rulings, without the sentencing enhancements, Reffitt’s sentence guidelines were 87 to 108 months in federal prison. Prosecutors argued during his trial in March that Reffitt “lit the match” on the west side of the Capitol, leading the mob up towards the Capitol building where rioters broke in.“He was ecstatic about what he did, about what the mob did,” a federal prosecutor told jurors. “Back home in Texas, he thought he has gotten away with it.”
In court on Monday, August 1, 2022, Assistant US Attorney Risa Berkower read a brief letter from Reffitt’s son Jackson Reffitt, who testified against his father. He wanted mental health treatment to be part of his father’s sentence.“My father has lost himself to countless things,” Jackson Reffitt wrote. “The prison system should be used not to destroy a person, but to rehabilitate one.”Reffitt’s daughter had previously written a letter to the judge that it was “enormously embarrassing” that her father — like a lot of “middle-aged white men” — was sucked in by Trump and that her dad “fell to his knees when President Trump spoke.” President Trump deceived my father and many other normal citizens with families to believe that this past election was fraudulent,” the 18-year-old wrote in her letter.
After the judgment, the FBI on Twitter stated, "Today's sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes committed by Mr Reffitt, and underscores the wanton disregard he had for one of the pillars of our democracy— the peaceful transition of power. The FBI and our law enforcement partners continue to be steadfast in our commitment to ensure that all individuals who committed crimes on January 6 are held to account for their actions."- ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE STEVEN M. D'ANTUONO- FBI WASHINGTON DIVISION BUREAU
Texas Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Actions Related to Capitol Breach @FBIWFO @FBIDallas @FBISanAntonio https://t.co/S0OACTyJer pic.twitter.com/qtqfDPifTj
— FBI (@FBI) August 1, 2022
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