Politics

Man who carried Confederate flag to Capitol during Jan. 6 riot indicted

Key Points
  • Kevin Seefried, who was photographed carrying a Confederate flag in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots in Washington, has been indicted by a grand jury on five counts related to obstruction, entering restricted property and disorderly conduct.
  • Seefried's son, Hunter Seefried, was also indicted. The younger Seefried faces the same five counts as his father in addition to three charges related to destruction of government property and violence on Capitol grounds.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

Kevin Seefried, who was photographed carrying a Confederate flag in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots in Washington, has been indicted by a grand jury on five counts related to obstruction, entering restricted property and disorderly conduct.

Seefried's son, Hunter Seefried, was also indicted. The younger Seefried faces the same five counts as his father in addition to three charges related to destruction of government property and violence on Capitol grounds.

The grand jury document was filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday and made public on Thursday. The two men were arrested in January after turning themselves in to authorities in Wilmington, Del. Both men are residents of Delaware.

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Kevin and Hunter Seefried are among the hundreds of individuals who have been charged with crimes related to the attack on the Capitol, which was carried out largely by supporters of former President Donald Trump who rejected his electoral defeat to President Joe Biden.

An affidavit signed by FBI Special Agent Katherine Pattillo filed in connection with the case in January said that authorities reviewed video footage allegedly showing the Seefrieds entering the Capitol via a broken window.

The two were identified, according to the affidavit, after a co-worker of Hunter Seefried told the FBI that Hunter had "bragged about being in the Capitol with his father on January 6, 2021."

Pattillo also wrote that she reviewed footage posted to Twitter that allegedly shows Hunter Seefried "punching out glass in a window in the Capitol complex after people adjacent to him in the crowd broke it with a wooden 2 x 4."

"Kevin Seefried confirmed to law enforcement agents that Hunter Seefried was asked by an individual unknown to the Seefrieds to assist with clearing the window because Hunter Seefried was wearing gloves," Pattillo wrote.

Kevin Seefried, who authorities said was photographed inside the U.S. Capitol carrying a Confederate flag, and his son Hunter Seefried (R) enter a Wilmington office building after their first court appearance in Wilmington, Delaware, January 14, 2021.
William Bretzger | Wilmington News Journal | via Reuters

Both men participated in separate, voluntary interviews with investigators, Pattillo wrote. Kevin Seefried said during his interview that he had brought the Confederate flag from his home in Delaware, where he had it displayed outside.

"Defendant Kevin Seefried told law enforcement that he had traveled with his family from Delaware to the District of Columbia to hear President Trump speak and that he and Hunter Seefried participated in a march from the White House to the Capitol led by an individual with a bull horn," Pattillo wrote.

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The five charges that both men face are: obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

In addition, Hunter Seefried also faces charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with physical violence against property; destruction of government property; and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.

An attorney for Hunter Seefried did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An attorney for Kevin Seefried could not immediately be reached.

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