A pair of rioters from Delaware who are father and son have been convicted of various charges — including a felony offense apiece — in relation to their participation in last year’s Capitol violence. The newly convicted rioters are 53-year-old Kevin Seefried and his son, Hunter, who’s 24 and shares a last name.
The trial for the Seefrieds was a bench trial, meaning decision-making regarding the defendants’ guilt or lack thereof was left to a judge. The judge handling the matter was U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden. Both Seefrieds were found guilty of a felony offense of obstruction of an official proceeding, which comes with up to 20 years in prison if convicted — as they’ve now been — although significantly shorter sentences are possible. Both were also found guilty of four misdemeanor offenses, a list including: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol Building; disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building. They’ll both be sentenced in September.
The Seefrieds attended the large outdoor rally in D.C. where then-President Trump spoke prior to the breach, again confirming that the rally wasn’t somehow disconnected from what enveloped the Capitol. The Seefrieds were among the first riot participants to enter the Capitol building last year. “People near Hunter and Kevin Seefried broke windows with a police shield and a wooden two-by-four, and Hunter Seefried removed a large piece of glass from one of those windows to clear the way. After the glass was broken, the Seefrieds and many others entered the building starting at approximately 2:13 p.m,” per the Justice Department. Kevin, the older of the two, carried a Confederate flag while inside the Capitol building. Both Seefrieds “were part of a larger group of individuals who chased U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman and verbally confronted several U.S. Capitol Police officers near the entrance to the Senate Chambers,” authorities add.
Goodman testified this week amid the Seefrieds’ D.C. trial. Goodman testified that Kevin jabbed the flagpole (with the Confederate flag) towards him while pushing into the building alongside other rioters. That confrontation between Kevin and Goodman took place on the first floor of the Capitol, and Goodman said Kevin “was saying things like fuck you, I’m not leaving, where are the members at, where are they counting the votes.” Seefried apparently used that flagpole against Goodman while standing somewhat off from the bulk of the crowd he was in, but initially, Goodman remained roughly in place and Seefried moved back into the crowd. It’s after that point when the crowd in that area infamously chased Goodman up some stairs; Goodman led those pursuing him away from the Senate chambers, which he confirmed he was concerned about the crowd accessing. The riot could have no doubt been even worse if some of those there that day physically reached members of Congress. Various weapons were present.
