Analysis: U.S. can expect ‘a flood of plea deals’ in Capitol attack cases after guilty verdict

FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Capitol Building is stormed by a pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, 2021
FILE PHOTO: A mob of supporters of then-U.S. President Donald Trump climb through a window they broke as they storm the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo/File Photo

By Jan Wolfe

Prosecutors can expect a wave of guilty pleas from some of the hundreds of people charged with joining the assault on the U.S. Capitol, after the first criminal trial related to the riot ended in a lightning-quick guilty verdict on Tuesday, legal experts said.

A Washington, D.C, jury deliberated just two hours before finding Guy Reffitt of Texas guilty on all five charges he faced for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, violence by Donald Trump’s supporters, including bringing a gun onto the Capitol grounds and obstructing an official proceeding. He faces up to 20 years in prison.