A Delaware man who waved the Confederate flag at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was convicted along with his son on Wednesday by a federal judge in the first charge of obstructing the certification of the 2020 presidential vote.
The two men, Kevin and Hunter Sifrid, were also found guilty during the trial by Judge Trevor N. McFadden of four offenses, including hooliganism and illegal entry into a restricted area.
The day-long trial in Washington’s Federal District Court was the eighth case in connection with the Jan. 6 attack to come before the court. In seven of the cases, defendants were found guilty – often with extreme quick thinking – of crimes, including obstruction, theft of property and illegal entry. A case, also heard by Judge McFadden, resulted in a full acquittal.
During the trial of Sifrids, prosecutors say the father and son were among the first wave of rebels to invade the Capitol on Jan. 6, climbing through a broken window near the Senate Wing door that other assailants had just broke. Hunter Seefried was accused of helping break the window by ripping out a piece of glass left in the frame, but Judge McFadden acquitted him.
A key witness in the trial was Officer Eugene Goodman, whose actions on the day of the attack were recorded in a widely circulated video recorded by a Capitol reporter. Officer Goodman, who was later honored with an invitation to serve as President Biden, played an important role in leading a group of rebels away from members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
During his stay, Officer Goodman testified that some of the rebels sprayed him with bear spray, threw objects at him, and tried to shake him and other employees off the scaffolding. He also said he was vomiting in response to tear gas used by the Washington Metropolitan Police when they arrived to reinforce the Capitol police, which had been seized.
“It looked like something from the Middle Ages, where you see one great power fighting another,” said Officer Goodman.
Officer Goodman also testified that he tried to stop Kevin Sifrid from continuing to the Senate and that Mr. Seefried “hit” him three times with the Confederate flag.
The obstacle for which both men were convicted carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but rebels found guilty of the crime receive much shorter sentences.
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