A Delaware man who carried a Confederate battle flag inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was convicted along with his son on Wednesday by a federal judge of the maximum count in his charge: obstructing the certification of the vote 2020 presidential election.
The two men, Kevin and Hunter Seefried, were also found guilty in the trial of Judge Trevor N. McFadden of four misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct and illegal entry into a restricted area.
The one-day trial in the Washington Federal District Court was the eighth case related to the Jan. 6 bombing trial. In seven cases, defendants have been convicted, often with exceptionally quick deliberations, of crimes such as obstruction, theft of property and entry. One case, also heard by Judge McFadden, resulted in a total acquittal.
During the Seefrieds trial, prosecutors argued that the father and son were among the first wave of riots that entered the Capitol on January 6, climbing through a broken window near the wing door of the Senate that other attackers had just broken. Hunter Seefried had been accused of helping to break the window by ripping off a piece of glass left in the frame, but Judge McFadden acquitted him of the count.
A key witness in the trial was Officer Eugene Goodman, whose actions were captured on the day of the attack in a high-profile video recorded by a journalist at the Capitol. Officer Goodman, who was later honored with a special invitation to President Biden’s inauguration, was instrumental in keeping a group of lawmakers out of the House and Senate chambers.
During his time in the stands, Officer Goodman testified that some of the mutineers sprayed him with what he believed to be bear spray, threw objects at him, and attempted to shake him and other scaffolding agents. He also said he vomited in reaction to the tear gas deployed by Washington metropolitan police when they arrived to reinforce the Capitol police, which had been invaded.
“It looked like something from the medieval era, where you see a great force fighting another force,” Officer Goodman said.
Officer Goodman also testified that he had tried to prevent Kevin Seefried from advancing to the Senate chamber and that Mr. Seefried “nailed” him three times with the Confederate flag.
The count of obstructions for which both men were convicted carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but the mutineers who have been convicted of the crime have received much shorter sentences.