Oklahoman charged over US Capitol breach tried an 'I was praying' defense. It didn't work
An electrical contractor from Oklahoma claimed all along that he was not protesting when he went inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
Anthony Alfred Griffith Sr. said he instead was following God's will and praying for the unborn.
"God is with me all the time," Griffith testified in March at his federal trial in Washington, D.C. "He ordains every step that I take."
On Tuesday, a judge rejected his "prayer" defense.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly found Griffith guilty of four misdemeanors "for his participation and actions at the insurrection."
"In general, Defendant maintained in his testimony that he thought it was lawful to enter and remain in the Capitol and its grounds until instructed otherwise. The Court does not find this testimony credible," the judge wrote in an explanation of her verdict.
"Although Griffith testified that he was guided by firm religious convictions, particularly in regards to his views on abortion, those religious convictions do not negate the clear video and photographic evidence speaking to his intent to engage in political demonstrations in concert with the mob around him."
Anthony Griffith Sr. the first Oklahoman charged in Jan. 6 riots to go to trial
Griffith is one of 10 Oklahomans who have been charged so far as a result of the investigation of the riot. He is the first one to take his case to trial.
He chose to have the judge, rather than a jury, decide whether he was guilty. Sentencing is set for Aug. 25.
Griffith, now 58, operates an electrical business in Fort Gibson. He was charged in February 2021.
Griffith told the FBI that he first went inside "because he thought the Capitol police were letting people in," according to a court affidavit. He told the FBI he went in a second time and took pictures.
Griffith acknowledged at the trial that he was a supporter of Donald Trump. He said he heard the then-president speak at the "Stop the Steal" rally before going to the Capitol.
More: Trump supporter from Oklahoma pleads guilty to civil disorder for role in US Capitol riot
He testified that he is praying in a video shown at the trial, not confronting the Capitol police, right before he went inside.
"What I said was, 'You damn demons don't get to kill no more babies in this country. It's over. It's done. You're finished,'" he said. "And ... I'm thankful that the Lord give me the opportunity ... to do that for him."
He testified that he chanted "USA" inside the Capitol to promote God's spirit.
"This country deserves God's word," he said. "I could say maybe that it was the excitement of the Holy Spirit inside of me that just forced it out."
Griffith knew 'that his actions at the Capitol were unlawful,' judge says
The judge in her explanation said Griffith actually can be seen on video shouting at a police officer, "Open the door."
The judge also decided Griffith was protesting when he was chanting inside the Capitol.
"Beyond a reasonable doubt, Anthony Griffith knew on January 6, 2021, that his actions at the Capitol were unlawful," she wrote.
He witnessed numerous signs that his presence in the Capitol was unauthorized, including rioters ripping a door off its hinges, she found.
He first went in the Capitol at 2:45 p.m., over a piercing alarm, and "shouted with excitement," the judge wrote. He stepped on broken glass, left and entered again through another door at 2:50 p.m.
"He saw and stepped over broken furniture directly in front of him," she wrote. "Members of the mob continued to shout and protest all around him."
The mob was chanting "Traitors" and "Fight for Trump," among other things, she noted. He left at 3:33 p.m.
At the rally and with Griffith for a time inside the Capitol was Jerry Ryals, who then worked for him as an apprentice electrician.
Ryals, 28, of Fort Gibson, is now in federal prison.
The judge last October ordered Ryals to spend nine months in prison and pay $2,000 in restitution for his role in the attack.
Ryals pleaded guilty to civil disorder, a felony, for interfering with police efforts to protect the Capitol.
"It's my hope that the sentence ... sends a message ... to deter you and others from ever engaging in this type of disruptive behavior in the future," the judge told Ryals. "A democracy is fragile, and it requires that all citizens appreciate it."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Trump supporter from Oklahoma found guilty in US Capitol breach
