Guy Wesley Reffitt of Wylie, Texas: DOJ

By Glynn Wilson –

Guy Wesley Reffitt, the first Trump insurrectionist to face trial in the massive criminal investigation into the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, was sentenced by a federal judge on Monday to more than seven years in federal prison, the longest sentence to date.

Judge Dabney L. Friedrich handed down a sentence at the low end of the guideline range, noting that was still significantly longer than any given so far to any of the more than 800 people arrested in connection with the insurrection. Many defendants agreed to plead guilty in plea bargain deals, but Reffitt refused.

U.S. attorneys prosecuting the case requested a 15 year sentence, including a domestic terrorism enhancement. Judge Friedrich rejected that, sentencing him instead to seven years and three months in prison with three years of probation. He was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution and receive mental health treatment.

A jury found Reffitt guilty on five felony charges in March, including obstructing Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election, carrying a .40-caliber pistol during the riot and two counts of civil disorder. Unlike others who showed up in Washington for Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally and proceeded to march to the Capitol and break in, Reffitt never entered the building.

The sentencing capped a trial that was seen as an important test for the case of the Department of Justice, which is only beginning the marathon process of trying what could be scores of insurrectionists loyal to Trump. Prosecutors and defense lawyers were watching to see how the obstruction charge, a rarely used count central to many of the cases yet to reach trial, would hold up in court.

Judge Friedrich described Reffitt’s case as unusual on account of threats of violence he made against his own children when he discovered he might be swept up in the federal investigation following the riot. In March, Reffitt’s son, Jackson Reffitt, took the stand to testify that his father had become radicalized in the months leading up to the attack, and had threatened both him and his sister in an attempt to dissuade them from speaking to authorities, telling them that “traitors get shot.”

Before Monday, the longest sentence in a case related to the attack on the Capitol was just over five years, given last year to a man who had pleaded guilty to assaulting an officer with a fire extinguisher. But because Reffitt did not plead guilty like hundreds of others arrested in connection with the attack and went to trial, Judge Friedrich said, the sentencing guidelines for his case were two years more than if he had reached a plea deal.

After briefly appearing hesitant to address the court on Monday, Reffitt, dressed in an orange jumpsuit with his hair pulled back into a thin ponytail, offered an apology for his actions.

“I did want to definitely make an apology,” he said. “In 2020, I was a little crazy, everything went a little stupid.”

Judge Friedrich said she appreciated his sentiment, but she doubted his sincerity, given that while in jail awaiting sentencing, he apparently had raised funds off his incarceration, releasing politically charged statements and “doubling down” on his claims and a “manifesto” he had dictated to his family by phone.

Reffitt conceded that he had often resorted to “hyperbole,” but said that any inflammatory claims he had made were intended to draw donations to support his family financially.

In the months before and after the 2020 election, Reffitt got involved with the Texas Three Percenters, a loosely organized militia movement, and sent messages recruiting others in the group to accompany him to Washington on Jan. 6.

As part of his sentence, Judge Friedrich instructed him not to contact any members of the Three Percenters or other militia groups while on probation.

In final remarks, Judge Friedrich made a point to stress that while Reffitt’s actions were not as violent as many others who had attacked police officers on Jan. 6, they nonetheless put hundreds of people in danger.

While Reffitt repeatedly described himself and other rioters who stormed the capitol as “patriots” in statements from jail, Judge Friedrich called their behavior the “antithesis of patriotism.”

“Not only are they not patriots, they are a direct threat to our democracy and will be prosecuted as such,” she said.

The sentence comes as a parallel inquiry is being carried out by the House Select Committee to investigate the Capitol insurrection. As courts slowly process the hundreds of cases related to the riot, speculation has grown as to how the Justice Department will respond to the committee’s findings about former President Donald Trump and those in his inner circle who helped instigate it, and whether the committee will formally recommend criminal charges to the Department of Justice when it releases a final report.

Meanwhile, other defendants are still being tracked down and found, charged, tried and sentenced.

District of Columbia Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Offenses Committed During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

A District of Columbia man was sentenced to 63 months in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of Congress in the process of certifying the electoral votes in the presidential election of 2020, delaying the peaceful transfer of power, a hallmark of American democracy.

Mark K. Ponder, 56, was sentenced in the District of Columbia, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Ponder assaulted three police officers in a series of incidents in the western portion of the Capitol grounds.

At approximately 2:31 p.m. on Jan. 6, after rioters overwhelmed police lines in the West Plaza, Ponder ran out from the crowd and swung a long, thin pole at a U.S. Capitol Police officer. The officer protected himself by raising his riot shield above his head.

Ponder’s pole struck the riot shield and broke in two, with part of the pole flying off to the side. Ponder then retreated into the crowd.

Moments later, he re-armed himself with a new, thicker pole that was colored with red, white, and blue stripes. At approximately 2:32 p.m., he ran toward a second Capitol Police officer who also was able to block the pole with his riot shield.

Then at 2:48 p.m., Ponder joined a crowd of rioters that faced off against a line of officers with the Metropolitan Police Department in the Upper West Terrace. He swung the same striped pole and banged it against the ground in a menacing manner. Then, as the police officers advanced to move the crowd, Ponder wildly swung the pole at the advancing police line, striking an officer in the left shoulder.

Ponder was arrested on March 17, 2021, in Washington, D.C. He pleaded guilty on April 22, 2022, to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also must pay $2,000 in restitution.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 18 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 850 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

Ohio Woman Pleads Guilty to Felony Charge for Actions in Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

An Ohio woman has also pleaded guilty to a felony charge for her actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Christine Priola, 50, of Willoughby, Ohio, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to obstruction of an official proceeding, according to a press release.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Priola made her way to the U.S. Capitol grounds, carrying a large sign expressing her views. Once on the grounds, she illegally entered the restricted area on the east side of the Capitol Building.

Priola joined the front lines of the riot, climbed the steps, and entered the Capitol Building through the East Rotunda Doors. She went inside soon after the first rioters overcame law enforcement officers guarding the entrance. She moved to the Senate chamber and entered the restricted floor area. While in the chamber, she carried the sign. She was in the Senate chamber for about 10 minutes. All told, she was inside the Capitol Building for approximately 30 minutes.

Sometime between Jan. 6 and Jan. 12, 2021, Priola deleted from her cellphone data for photos, videos, chats, and messages from approximately Jan. 4 through Jan. 7, 2021. At the time of the riots, she was employed with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. She resigned in a letter dated Jan. 7, 2021.

Priola was arrested in Ohio on Jan. 14, 2021. She is to be sentenced on Oct. 28, 2022. She faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

The FBI’s Cleveland Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service for the Northern District of Ohio, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department

In the 18 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 850 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.