Reeder offered 'a self-serving rewrite of history that sought to portray himself as a hapless tourist, absolve himself of any wrongdoing (and) place blame on others,' prosecutors wrote their recommendation, where they slammed him for criticizing the police response on January 6. In similar cases involving nonviolent rioters, the Justice Department has asked for house arrest or probation, but never any jail time. That is a stiffer punishment than most of the other rioters who pleaded guilty to the same misdemeanor. Prosecutors cited Reeder's apparent lack of remorse as one reason why he should be sentenced to two months in jail. He claimed he stayed inside - even while alarms blared, and police officers squared off with violent rioters - because he 'was struck by the awe and the beauty of the Rotunda.' Reeder argued in court filings that he should get probation because he only went in the Capitol to find water after getting pepper sprayed and faulted police for ineffectively guarding the building. These cases are being watched closely as more rioters learn their punishment for participating in a grave attack on American democracy, and the Justice Department has said it'll seek harsher sentences for unrepentant defendants. Reeder is one of the rioters who pleaded guilty but remains defiant about key aspects of the January 6 insurrection. if in fact your client committed or commits such a crime of violence prior to or after the execution of this Agreement.' It says, 'the United States expressly reserves its right to prosecute your client for any crime of violence. The plea deal prosecutors signed with Reeder gives the Justice Department a path to charge him with the alleged assault, if it chooses to. 'The quick response to last minute discovery of images showing a suspected assault clearly shows the dedication by all involved.'Ī Justice Department spokesman declined to comment about the case or the new video. 'The team are extremely grateful for all the challenging work the FBI and the DOJ are putting into each individual case and their willingness to accept the assistance from our community of researchers,' the group told CNN in a statement. Reeder is seeking a sentence of probation. Reeder's attorney in court said that 'on first blush, the clip is problematic' but said there might be other footage that could help his defense arguments. US District Judge Thomas Hogan said he was 'concerned' about the new videos because Reeder was previously portrayed as 'more as an observer than a participant' in the violence. He is now scheduled to be sentenced on October 8. Prosecutors planned to go forward with sentencing and request the maximum six-month jail term, but after reviewing more of the videos, they asked to delay the hearing. Prosecutors said during the truncated hearing that they notified the judge, as well as Reeder's defense attorneys, about the new footage on Wednesday morning. The Justice Department has cited their work in many cases. Sedition Hunters is one of several online collectives, many comprised of anti-Donald Trump activists, who have combed through footage from the Capitol attack to identify rioters. He pleaded guilty to unlawfully demonstrating inside the Capitol and was set to be sentenced on Wednesday afternoon, with prosecutors asking for two months in jail, partially due to his lack of remorse.īut on Wednesday morning, the online group known as the Sedition Hunters tweeted newly discovered clips and photos, apparently showing Reeder fighting with police on January 6. Robert Reeder of Maryland was charged in February with four misdemeanors. (CNN) - The sentencing for one of the January 6 US Capitol rioters was abruptly postponed Wednesday after new videos emerged of the man allegedly fighting with police, an unexpected twist in the case because prosecutors hadn't previously accused him of committing violence that day.

Robert reeder capitol