The The United States Department of Justice released a man in Texas was sentenced “to 87 months in prison for civil disorder, obstruction of justice, and other charges for his actions before, during, and after the breach of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.”
The department responsible for enforcing the law in the United States noted that said sentence is “because his actions and those of others interrupted a joint session of the United States Congress convened to determine and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.”
the sentenced, Guy Wesley Refitt, 49, of Wylie, Texas, was the first to stand trial among hundreds charged in the Capitol assault. He was convicted by a jury in the District of Columbia on March 8, 2022, of five counts, including two counts of civil disorder and one count of obstructing an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a firearm. fire and obstruction of justice.
Guy Reffitt He arrived at the Capitol on January 6 armed and determined to instigate violence.said Matthew M. Graves, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. “In his own words, his goal was to take the Capitol ‘before the day is out.’
He and others contributed to the many assaults on law enforcement officers that day, putting many more people at risk, including lawmakers. Today’s jury verdict and sentencing holds him accountable for his violent and unscrupulous conduct.”added the Prosecutor.
For his part, Deputy Director-in-Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI Washington Field Office considered that “today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes committed by Mr. Refitt and underscores the unbridled contempt he had for one of the pillars of our democracy: the peaceful transition of power.”
The official assured that the FBI and its law enforcement partners continue to be steadfast. in its commitment to ensure that everyone who committed crimes in January 2021 is held accountable for their actions.
According to government evidence, Reffitt was a member of the Texas Three Percenters, a militia organization.
The sentenced individual sent messages recruiting others in the group to join him on the trip to Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. Among other things, he told the group, “We’ll light up the game in DC on the 6th” . Another member of the militia joined Reffitt and the two left Texas on January 4 for a trip of more than 1,000 miles in Reffitt’s car. Both men brought AR-style pistols and rifles.
The department reported that “on the morning of January 6, both men attended a rally at the Ellipse before heading to the Capitol. They wore bulletproof vests and carried pistols, flexible handcuffs and radios to communicate. Reffitt also had a megaphone and a helmet with a camera mounted on top for recording. His mission, according to the evidence, was to prevent Congress from acting. It was specifically targeting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He told members of his militia group and those gathered around him at Ellipse that he planned to physically drag House Speaker Pelosi out of the Capitol building by her ankles.”
Reffitt made repeated statements recorded by his helmet camera while on Ellipse on January 6, including one in which he declared, “We will take the Capitol before the day is out.”
After a long narrative by the United States Department of Justice, which reconstructs the events that occurred on the sixth day of the year 2021, the Department detailed that Reffitt was arrested on January 16, 2021 and has been detained since then.
On a search of his house, FBI agents located the AR-15-style rifle and .40-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol that Reffitt reportedly used in Washington. They also located an illegal firearm suppressor, bear spray cans, flexible handcuffs and other items.
The Justice Department said that after his prison sentence, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He must also pay $2,000 in restitution..
The case was prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Northern Districts of Texas.
In the 18 months since January 6, 2021, more than 850 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the violation of the US Capitol, including more than 260 people charged with assault or impeding law enforcement. The investigation is ongoing, the department said.
Reference-aristeguinoticias.com
