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Chaos and destruction: Trump supporters storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2020
Photo: Shannon Stapleton / REUTERS
He was instrumental in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2020.
Wylie, Texas resident Guy Reffitt has been sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.
In March, a jury convicted Reffitt, who is a member of the far-right Three Percenters militia, of five felonies, including carrying a gun on Capitol grounds and obstructing an official process.
After the riots in Washington, Refitt threatened to harm his children if they told the FBI about his involvement.
US Judge Dabney Friedrich has now handed down a sentence of seven years and three months in prison - the longest sentence to date for one of the January 2021 troublemakers. She also banned Reffitt from contact with militia groups and ordered that he undergo psychiatric treatment.
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Earlier on Monday, Friedrich said she was concerned by Refitt's comments about wanting to overthrow Congress.
The judge described his statements as "scary claims that border on delusional".
"In a democracy, one respects a peaceful transfer of power," Friedrich said. "The election was challenged by several courts across the country, and judge after judge has ruled that these allegations are unfounded."
Refitt, 49, had not entered the Capitol himself in January 2021.
However, video footage showed him goading the crowd and leading other rioters up a flight of stairs outside the building.
»Traitors will be shot«
Refitt's son, Jackson, also testified at his trial.
He moved his father to tears when he told the jury how his father threatened him.
"He said, 'If you betray me, you are a traitor and traitors will be shot,'" Jackson Refitt told the jury.
At Guy Reffitt's sentencing, prosecutors presented evidence showing he had planned further violent crimes.
In a chat he told other members of his militia: "We have taken the capital of the United States of America and we will do it again".
Refitt's daughter Peyton tearfully told the court, "As I know my father, he is not a threat to my family," adding that his mental health was "a real problem."
Ahead of the verdict, Refitt said he was "a little too crazy" and apologized to the police and his family.
“I don't want anything to do with this stuff anymore.
I don't want anything to do with militia groups.
I'm so sorry,' he said.
Reffitt is the first Capitol rioter to stand trial in the US District Court in the District of Columbia.
To date, federal prosecutors have secured convictions in all but one of 13 cases related to the storming of the Capitol.
atb/Reuters/AP
