Mar 8, 2022 - Politics & Policy

First Jan. 6 rioter to go on trial found guilty of all charges

Photo of Capitol rioters crowding a group of Capitol police officers with weapons

Rioters clash with police trying to enter the Capitol building through the front doors on Jan. 6, 2021. Photo: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

A jury found Jan. 6 rioter Guy Reffitt guilty of all five charges connected to the Capitol insurrection on Tuesday, CNN reported Tuesday.

Why it matters: Reffitt, 49, carried a gun onto Capitol grounds, interfered with the police line and threatened his son and daughter when he returned to Texas, prosecutors say. He was the first Jan. 6 defendant to go to trial.

  • His son later turned him over to the FBI and went on national news to discuss the Trump supporter's involvement with Three Percenters, the far-right militia group.
  • Reffitt has been convicted of obstructing an official proceeding, entering and remaining on restricted grounds and obstructing justice by hindering communication through the threat of physical force.
  • The jury deliberated for under four hours, according to CNN.

The big picture: More than 750 have been arrested in connection to the insurrection.

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