Three Capitol Rioters to Learn Their Fates This Afternoon

“A federal judge in D.C. on Tuesday will hand down verdicts in the trial of three Jan. 6 defendants that could have a major impact on the trajectory of Capitol attack prosecutions going forward,” NBC News reports.

“The three men — Patrick McCaughey, Tristan Stevens, and David Mehaffie — have appeared for a bench, or non-jury trial, before U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Donald Trump appointee who is the only federal judge in D.C. who has acquitted a Jan. 6 defendant. Following a trial that spanned two weeks, McFadden said he would announce the verdicts at 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.”

“Federal prosecutors have secured guilty verdicts on every charge brought against every defendant in jury trials, so far. A mixed verdict in the bench trial of McCaughey, Stevens, and Mehaffie could encourage even more defendants to try their luck at a bench trial at a time when the Justice Department, FBI, and D.C. federal court system are struggling to keep pace with a massive investigation that has packed the court docket, with hundreds more arrests still yet to come.”