A US jury has found founder and leader Stewart Rhodes of the US militia group Oath Keepers guilty of “seditious conspiracy” over last year’s attack on the US Capitol. Rhodes faces up to 20 years in prison.
Rhodes, who wears an eyepatch after accidentally shooting himself in the face with his own weapon, is one of the most prominent defendants of the approximately nine hundred suspects charged so far in connection with the attack. Rhodes’ four co-defendants in the trial were Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell. Of those four, only Meggs was found guilty of sedition. A judge has yet to determine the sentences of Rhodes and Meggs.
Fast response power
The defendants were accused of establishing a “rapid response force” that prosecutors said was stationed in a nearby Virginia hotel and equipped with firearms that could be quickly transported to Washington if requested.
Four more Oath Keepers members charged with seditious conspiracy will appear in court in December. Members of another right-wing group called the Proud Boys, including former President Enrique Tarrio, will also go on trial in December on seditious conspiracy charges.
Lawyer and paratrooper
Rhodes, a former Army paratrooper and Yale Law School disbarred lawyer, founded the Oath Keepers in 2009, a militia group made up of current and former US military, law enforcement and first responders. The oath (“oath”) taken by members serves to protect the United States constitution. Its members often appear heavily armed at protests and political events, including racial justice rallies following the murder of black George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Source: BNR
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