Aiexpress – Kevin Seefried, on the left, was seen carrying a rolled-up Confederate flag as he marched through the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. His son, Hunter Seefried, on the right, has recently made a request for immediate release from prison and a reduction in his sentence in February 2024.
A man who participated in the initial group of rioters that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, alongside his father who was waving a Confederate flag, has requested a federal judge in Washington, D.C. to grant him immediate release from prison and reduce his sentence.
Hunter Seefried, a 24-year-old individual from Delaware, recently filed a 13-page motion on February 16th. He is the son of Kevin Seefried, a 53-year-old man who gained attention for carrying a large Confederate flag through the Capitol halls during the riot. Hunter Seefried was part of the group that chased U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up multiple flights of stairs. Goodman bravely led Seefried and others away from the Senate chamber, guiding them towards the safety of the waiting police.
In June 2022, a federal judge convicted both the Seefrieds at a bench trial. Hunter Seefried received a two-year prison sentence, while his father received six years. The men were found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding, as well as four misdemeanor offenses. These offenses included 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, as stated by the Justice Department.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who was appointed by former President Trump, has acquitted Hunter Seefried of three charges. According to a report from The Washington Post, Seefried expressed sincere remorse to the court, describing the events of January 6th as a “national embarrassment.”
McFadden found the young man’s apology to be particularly impactful, describing him as a “good man who made a serious mistake.” The judge acknowledged that Seefried, at the very least, acknowledged the wrongdoing of his actions.
Seefried’s girlfriend and mother were also present among the crowd that day. When McFadden questioned Hunter Seefried about why he didn’t stay back with them and instead chose to move forward with his father, he responded, “The crowd and the energy were simply overpowering. It’s not an excuse. I would attribute it to my father, but I am mature enough to understand.”
Hunter Seefried’s public defender has filed a motion to reduce his two-year sentence. According to the defense, Seefried should be eligible for a reduction because, even if the government’s account of his actions on January 6th is accepted, his behavior did not pose a credible threat of violence.
According to prosecutors, Seefried’s presence near Goodman and role in the pursuit make him equally responsible for the events that unfolded.
Hunter Seefried, a convicted rioter, argues that his sentence should be reduced because he did not pose a “credible” threat of violence to the officers protecting the U.S. Capitol, including U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman.
Hunter Seefried disputes the government’s claim of violence intended to harm Officer Goodman or others by stating that he was simply “casually walking and peering around the Capitol in an exploratory fashion.” Prosecutors allege that the 24-year-old spent approximately 20 minutes inside the Ohio Clock Corridor on January 6, provoking the police. However, Seefried argues that the video presented by the government during the trial does not sufficiently prove this.
During his bench trial, the police testified that Hunter Seefried had his fists clenched and was pacing in front of the officers, according to the motion. However, his lawyer argues that this assessment was exaggerated.
According to the motion, Seefried’s fist clenching was an attempt to give a friendly gesture towards a nearby photographer. He argues that his interaction with the police was not meant to be threatening, but rather a conversation. Additionally, he states that he mostly stayed in the corridor and stood near a bust.
Hunter Seefried asserts that he did not present a “credible threat of violence” to the police officers stationed at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
According to federal public defender A.J. Kramer, the government’s argument can be seen as an attempt to repackage its interpretation of “broad-guilt-by-association” by stripping away its rhetoric.
Hunter Seefried, in a photo obtained from court records, is shown circled in red. He claims that on January 6th, he remained in the vicinity of a bust and did not pose a “credible threat of violence.”
Kramer expressed his thoughts on the matter, stating that he believes there should be a reduction in sentence.
Although true that even if a defendant is eligible for a retroactive amendment, a court may still refuse to apply it, the government fails to identify any persuasive reason for why Mr. Seefried should not receive the benefit of the retroactively applicable Amendment 821. At sentencing, this Court believed ‘there are significant factors here in [Mr. Seefried’s] favor … and that stands in contrast to other defendants [the Court has] sentenced for felonious conduct on January 6th.’ It recognized that Mr. Seefried’s actions were ‘a complete aberration for [him].’ Id. It underscored that Mr. Seefried has ‘no criminal history, no association with extremist groups, and there’s no evidence that [he] had been planning to do anything like this before hand.’ The Court also noted his ‘good employment record and the many letters submitted on [his] behalf that testify to [his] good character,’ his youth, and found his
‘statements of remorse’ to be ‘probably the most sincere and the most affecting statements of anyone [the Court has] sentenced for behavior on January 6th in quite a while.’
In his argument, Kramer asserts that he should receive a reduction as a “zero-point offender.” He further urges the court to take into account the recent amendments made to the U.S. Sentencing Commission guidelines. If these amendments had been in place at the time of his initial sentencing, his guideline range would have been 18 to 24 months instead of the 24 to 30 months used by the judge as a reference.
According to Kramer, Seefried has successfully earned his GED during his time in prison and has demonstrated exemplary behavior as an inmate. He has actively participated in various educational classes and currently holds a forklift operator certificate, which will allow him to pursue employment in this field upon his release.
Seefried is hoping for early release before his projected release date of April 3, 2024, and to be given credit for the time he has already served.
