According to a court filing, federal prosecutors want a 15-year prison sentence for a Texas man who was convicted of storming the U.S. Capitol with a holstered handgun.
If a judge accepts the Justice Department's recommendation, Reffitt's prison sentence would be three times the length of the longest sentence among more than 200 defendants who have been sentenced for crimes related to the January 6, 2021, riot in the nation's capital.
Robert Palmer was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months for attacking police officers at the Capitol.
Reffitt will be sentenced on August 1st. The judge does not have to follow any of the recommendations or the sentencing guidelines calculated by the court.
Reffitt should be sentenced to no more than two years in prison according to the defense attorney. Reffitt was not accused of entering the Capitol or attacking any police officers.
He said during the interview that it was absurd. I don't condone what he did. Everybody knows that the offenses are serious. At the same time, there needs to be some sense of proportion here.
If the judge agrees to apply theward departure for terrorism in Reffitt's case, the sentence would be much longer. Reffitt planned for weeks ahead of January to travel to Washington, D.C., to take over Congress, according to the trial evidence.
Reffitt did not intend to prevent Congress from certifying the electoral college vote. Reffitt wanted to take over Congress by physically removing the legislators from the building.
A jury found Reffitt guilty of all five counts in his indictment. He was found guilty of obstructing Congress, interfering with police officers who were guarding the Capitol, and threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement.
Reffitt was the leader of the Texas militia group, according to prosecutors. He told other militia group members that he was going to drag Nancy Pelosi out of the Capitol building by her feet.
Reffitt didn't testify at his trial
Reffitt was the one who lit the fire that allowed others in a mob to overwhelm Capitol police officers.
Videos of the confrontation between a few Capitol police officers and a mob of people, including Reffitt, were shown to jurors.
Reffitt was wearing body armor and a helmet with a video camera when he advanced on the police. He retreated after an officer sprayed him in the face, but he waved at the other rioters.
Reffitt went to Washington, D.C. with a man who claimed to be a member of the Texas Three Percenters militia group. There is a myth that only 3% of Americans fought in the Revolutionary War.
When Donald Trump held his "Stop the Steal" rally, both of them were carrying holstered handguns. Reffitt talked about removing lawmakers from the Capitol and replacing them with people who would follow the constitution. Reffitt gave him two pairs of cuffs if they needed to detain anyone.
Jackson testified that his father threatened him and his sister after he returned from Washington. Reffitt told his children they would be traitors if they reported him.
Reffitt is done with politics according to his lawyer.
He wants to put his family back together, but he knows that he is the one who has caused them to break apart.
A lot of people have been charged with federal crimes. Over 200 of them have been sentenced after pleading guilty. There are trial dates for more than 100 people.
That's right.
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