“Initiated by the most fervent smaller groups and individuals within the crowd — individuals like Reffitt — and using the mob itself as a cloak for their actions, each blow helped the crowd penetrate further into the United States Capitol Police’s defenses until the building itself was accessible and its occupants were at risk,” prosecutors wrote.
The request from the Justice Department comes after some public outrage that rioters are not facing harsh enough prison sentences.
Reffitt’s attorney, F. Clinton Broden, asked the court for a sentence of no more than two years, saying that his client did not engage in physical violence and did not enter the Capitol building, adding that his threats against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “appear to be hyperbolic.”
Reffitt will be sentenced next week.
He was convicted by a DC jury in March of each of the five counts he faced, including transporting and carrying a firearm on Capitol grounds, interfering with Capitol Police and obstructing an official proceeding.
While federal guidelines recommend Reffitt spend up to 11 years in prison, prosecutors asked the judge to go over those guidelines, citing his aim to overthrow the government.
Prosecutors noted that Reffitt specifically targeted lawmakers, saying in a recording on January 6: “I just want to see Pelosi’s head hit every f**king stair on the way out. … And (Republican leader) Mitch McConnell too.”
