Kevin Seefried
Kevin Seefried | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 or 1970 |
| Occupation | Drywall mechanic |
| Known for | Participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack |
| Convictions | Five charges including: obstructing an official proceeding, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and entering and remaining in a restricted area |
Criminal penalty | 3 years imprisonment |
Kevin Seefried (born 1969 or 1970) is an American drywall mechanic and convicted felon known for his participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, during which he carried a Confederate battle flag inside the Capitol, marking the first time in U.S. history in which such a flag was displayed inside the Capitol. Seefried also threatened Eugene Goodman, an African-American United States Capitol Police officer. Images of Seefried carrying the flag inside the Capitol became some of the most recognizable images of the attack.
In 2023, Seefried was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in the attack. He was released from prison on May 31, 2024, having served more than one year of his sentence.
On January 20, 2025, the first day of the second presidency of Donald Trump, Seefried was pardoned along with nearly every other participant in the Capitol attack.
Career and personal life
[edit]Seefried is a drywall mechanic[1] from Delaware.[2]
January 6 U.S. Capitol attack
[edit]During the Capitol attack, Seefried was one of the first few attackers to enter the Capitol building, and he remained inside for 25 minutes, according to prosecutors.[3] He brandished a Confederate flag on a flag pole and made threatening motions towards Black police officer Eugene Goodman.[2][3] Images of Seefried became some of the most recognizable images of the attack.[4] It was the first time in U.S. history in which a Confederate battle flag was displayed inside the Capitol.[5][6]
Seefried was charged with obstructing an official proceeding, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and entering and remaining in a restricted area.[2] Seefried's adult son Hunter also participated in the attack and was sentenced in October 2022 to two years in prison[2] after being found guilty of obstruction.[3][7][8]
Numerous Facebook posts claimed without evidence that Seefried was a registered Democrat and a supporter of Joe Biden.[9]
In June 2022, the District Court for the District of Columbia judge Trevor McFadden found Seefried guilty on all five charges.[2][10][11] On February 9, 2023, Seefried was sentenced to three years in prison.[4][12] During his sentencing, his attorney A.J. Kramer stated that he wears a colostomy bag after previously recovering from rectal cancer.[13]
On May 31, 2024, Seefried was released after serving more than a year in prison.[14][15]
On January 20, 2025, the first day of the second presidency of Donald Trump, Seefried received a federal pardon along with nearly every other participant in the Capitol attack as part of Trump's pardon of January 6 United States Capitol attack defendants.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Weiner, Rachel (February 9, 2023). "Man carrying Confederate flag in Capitol on Jan. 6 sentenced to 3 years". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Lybr, Holmes (February 9, 2023). "Man who used Confederate flag against Capitol Police officer on January 6 sentenced to 3 years in prison | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- 1 2 3 "Capitol rioter who jabbed Confederate flag at black cop jailed". BBC News. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- 1 2 Legare, Robert; MacFarlane, Scott (February 9, 2023). "Kevin Seefried, Jan. 6 rioter who carried Confederate flag through Capitol, sentenced to 3 years in prison". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ↑ McLaughlin, Eliott C. (January 7, 2021). "Before Wednesday, insurgents waving Confederate flags hadn't been within 6 miles of the US Capitol". CNN. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ↑ Multiple sources:
- Cramer, Maria (January 9, 2021). "Confederate Battle Flag in the Capitol: A 'Jarring' First in U.S. History". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- Blumenthal, Sidney (January 9, 2021). "Trump's Maga insurrectionists were perverse US civil war re-enactors". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- Smith, Clint (January 8, 2021). "The Whole Story in a Single Photo". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
During the Civil War, the Confederate Army never reached the Capitol. The rebel flag, to my knowledge, had never been flown inside the halls of Congress until Wednesday. Two days ago, a man walked through the halls of government bearing the flag of a group of people who had seceded from the United States and gone to war against it.
- ↑ "Confederate flag-toting man, son convicted in Capitol riot". POLITICO. June 15, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ↑ "Delaware Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Actions Related to Capitol Breach" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Justice. October 24, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ MacGuill, Dan (January 29, 2021). "Is Alleged Capitol Rioter Kevin Seefried a 'Registered Democrat and Biden Supporter'?". Snopes. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
- ↑ MacFarlane, Scott; Smolinski, Paulina; Legare, Robert; Donaghue, Erin (June 15, 2022). "Kevin Seefried, who brought Confederate flag inside Capitol on Jan. 6, found guilty of obstruction of Congress". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ↑ "Delaware Men Found Guilty of Charges For Actions Related to Capitol Breach" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Justice. June 15, 2022. Archived from the original on March 11, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Delaware Man Sentenced For Felony and Misdemeanor Charges For Actions Related to Capitol Breach" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Justice. February 9, 2023. Archived from the original on January 28, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Barrish, Cris (February 9, 2023). "Delaware man who waved Confederate flag in Capitol on Jan. 6 gets three years in prison". WHYY. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Stanton, Andrew (March 30, 2024) [March 27, 2024]. "Supreme Court Gets Jan 6. Defendant Out of Jail". Newsweek. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ↑ Jansen, Bart (April 14, 2024) [April 12, 2024]. "A former cop yelled 'charge' on Jan. 6. How his Supreme Court case could help Trump". USA Today. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden last month ordered Kevin Seefried be released May 31, after a year in prison.
- ↑ Richer, Alanna Durkin; Kunzelman, Michael (January 21, 2025). "Trump grants sweeping pardon of Jan. 6 defendants, including rioters who violently attacked police". Associated Press. Retrieved January 28, 2025.