Texas man convicted in first Jan. 6 jury trial

A federal jury deliberated for just over three hours before finding Guy Wesley Reffitt, 49, guilty on all five charges against him. Reffitt was a member of a Texas branch of the militia group Texas Three Percenters. He also was the first of hundreds of waiting defendants to stand trial on felony charges for involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

What were the charges? According to prosecutors, Reffitt carried a Smith & Wesson pistol onto U.S. Capitol grounds, intending to disrupt Congress’ certification of the 2020 election results. He stopped when police pepper-sprayed him but waved other protesters on. Reffitt’s teenage son reported him to the FBI before Jan. 6 and then turned him in a week after the event. The son testified his father threatened him and a sibling if they revealed his role on that day, saying “traitors get shot.” Reffitt was convicted of obstructing justice by threatening his children, carrying a gun onto Capitol grounds, interfering with police officers, transporting a firearm during a civil disorder, and obstructing an official proceeding. More than 220 of the 750 people charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors like trespassing. Roughly 90 are awaiting trial dates.

Dig deeper: Read my article with Esther Eaton in The Stew about judicial and security updates a year after the riots.