DOJ Nears 800 Arrests, 250 Convictions for Capitol Riots

     On March 7th, 2022, Guy Reffitt, the first Capitol insurrectionist to go to trial, was convicted of five felonies that could and should send him to prison for up to 60 years. Less than 24 hours later, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was charged with conspiracy for his involvement in orchestrating the attack on the U.S. Capitol, just a week after Alabama Oath Keepers leader Joshua James became the first person to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy and Capitol rioter and convicted felon Matthew Perna offed himself.

     The conviction of Reffitt is not the last Capitol riot case that will go to trial in March 2022 alone. Otero County County commissioner Couy Griffin, who has also been charged for illegally failing to register his New Mexico-based organization Cowboys for Trump and who had previously threatened to bring a gun to the inauguration of Joe Biden, illegally taken sand from a local national park, and more, will go on trial for trespassing in the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. 

     After surpassing 100 sentencings in February 2022, the January 6th investigation is approaching two more big milestones this month. The arrest of Riley Kasper, a fellow Wisconsinite I have come across on multiple occasions, on felony charges that could put him in prison for the rest of his life, was a shocker for sure, but one that got the federal government its 775th arrest for participation in the insurrection. As the DOJ nears 800 arrests, it is also nearing 250 convictions. These arrests come from 47 states (with the exception of Nebraska, Vermont, and North Dakota), with Florida on track to be the first state in the nation to surpass 100 arrests by the end of this year. It may seem like a lot, but there are projected to be about 2,000 to 3,000 people in legal jeopardy as a result of their attempt to overthrow the government that day, and I doubt Nebraska, Vermont, and North Dakota (and especially the former and the latter) will maintain their clean slates for long.

     Multiple high-profile cases were resolved in the past few days. Derrick Evans, a West Virginia lawmaker, pleaded guilty to a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, which means he will be permanently prevented from teaching, coaching, and holding public office, which comprised the entirety of his career before his arrest in January 2021; officer Jacob Fracker of Virginia, a man who went viral for befriending a Black Lives Matter protestor in the summer of 2020, pled guilty to a 20-year felony and agreed to testify against fellow officer Thomas Robertson, who was ordered back to jail after police found dozens of guns and several explosive devices in his home while he was out on bond. Another recently convicted rioter is Lucas Denney, a Three Percenter and the founder of the alt-right Texas group Patriot Boys.

     The January 6th Committee is preparing to hold a series of public hearings this spring. There is some encouraging news from the DOJ and Merrick Garland: he has said they will not stop investigating the attack until every person responsible is convicted, and he has also said that he will consider the law, not potential political repercussions, when filing charges. Now, however, is the time to take action: it's time to charge Mark Meadows, it's time to charge the slates of fraudulent electors, and, this summer, it's time to charge Donald Trump. As you read this, Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska is on trial for felony charges related to violating campaign finances laws for accepting donations from a Russian billionaire and four of the men who plotted to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer are on trial for their actions. The misdeeds of the GOP are pervasive and expansive, and it's time for consequences in the courtroom.