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Three men were found guilty in the District of Columbia of felony and misdemeanor offenses for their actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, disrupting a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
In the 20 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 870 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
The three defendants found guilty include Patrick E. McCaughey III, 25, of Ridgefield, Connecticut; Tristan Chandler Stevens, 26, of Pensacola, Florida, and David Mehaffie, 63, of Kettering, Ohio. The verdicts followed a bench trial before U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden.
According to the evidence, on Jan. 6, 2021, McCaughey, Stevens, and Mehaffie all traveled to Washington, D.C. from their respective homes and made their way on to the restricted grounds of the U.S. Capitol. McCaughey and Stevens taunted officers at the West Front, and Mehaffie yelled at nearby rioters who were hesitating to illegally cross the outer perimeter, “if we can’t fight over this wall, we can’t win this battle!”
The three defendants ultimately broke through the police line after approximately 2:30 p.m., when the line on the West Front failed under the siege of the advancing mob. Each of the defendants scaled the Southwest scaffolding and staircase, to converge together at the tunnel created by the inaugural platform structure on the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol Building.
At the Lower West Terrace, the three defendants attempted to break into the building by directing other rioters, participating in heave-hos against the police line, using riot shields stolen from the Capitol Police, and assaulting three specific officers. Mehaffie hung from an archway and shouted direction from above, and McCaughey and Stevens were key players in the melee below.
McCaughey grabbed a riot shield and used it as a weapon. Even after officers finally cleared the tunnel area, the three defendants illegally remained on Capitol grounds. He was arrested on Jan. 19, 2021, in South Salem, New York. Stevens was arrested on Feb. 5, 2021, in Pensacola, Florida. Mehaffie was arrested on Aug. 12, 2021, in Kettering, Ohio.
McCaughey was found guilty of a total of nine offenses and Stevens was also found guilty of a total of nine offenses. Mehaffie was found guilty of a total of four offenses.
McCaughey is to be sentenced on Jan. 26, 2023. Stevens will be sentenced on Jan. 13, 2023 and Mehaffie is to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2023. The Court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
