Prosecutors charged a Texas man for directing the January 6 assault on the US Capitol by Donald Trump supporters, and the first criminal trial began on Wednesday. Reffitt, 49, was guilty of carrying a gun to Washington, fighting with police officers, and obstructing a legal hearing.
Reffitt’s children are to testify against him at the trial. The situation is under careful observation because it could have ramifications for future prosecutions of January 6 defendants. In his opening statement, Prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler described Reffitt as a leader of the “worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812”; when British troops set fire to the Capitol.
Nestler said that mobs need leaders and Reffitt is a member of a right-wing group called the Three Percenters. He was certainly “the tip of this mob’s spear”. “He lit the match that started the fire,” Nestler said.
“Traitors get shot”
Moreover, over 750 people have been behind bars as part of an ineffective endeavor to prevent Congress from proclaiming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the November 2020 presidential election. For his role in the brutal storming of the Capitol, Reffitt is the first individual to face criminal prosecution. Approximately 220 persons have already pleaded guilty.
Furthermore, in the affidavit assisting his arrest, Reffitt visited from Texas to Washington with another member of the Three Percenters. In pictures, he was visible on the Capitol steps donning a black helmet and bulletproof vest, according to police.
As per the affidavit, Reffitt’s teenage son and daughter informed the FBI that their father threatened them if they cooperated with police upon his return to Texas.
“If you turn me in, you’re a traitor and you know what happens to traitors… traitors get shot,” Reffitt says.
FBI officials arrested Reffitt on January 19, 2021. The FBI recovered an AR-15 rifle and a Smith & Wesson pistol from his Wylie, Texas, residence.
Reffitt has been in jail in Washington since his arrest. He might face a sentence of up to 20 years in jail if convicted.
A riot participant’s maximum sentence has so far been five years in prison.