oath keepers sentencing

The charges against leaders of the Oath A member of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group who was part of a security detail for former President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone before storming the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Thursday to more than four years in prison. Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. Oath Keepers' Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for seditious Defense attorneys have long said there was never a plan to attack the Capitol and prosecutors case was largely built on online messages cherry-picked out of context. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was sentenced last week to 18 years behind bars the longest sentence that has been handed down so far in hundreds of Picture taken October 10, 2019. The Justice Department had requested 18 years for Watkins and 15 for Harrelson. As part of the case against Rhodes, prosecutors emphasized that the Oath Keepers repeatedly urged the blocking of the election certification, brought small arms to the DC area, and planned to defend Trumps election claims with violence if necessary. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. The charges of seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding each carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Previously, the Justice Department hadnt pursued such a charge in more than a decade and Rhodes is the first of those involved in the insurrection to be sentenced for it. Sign up for NBC Bay Areas Housing Deconstructed newsletter. Nobody, Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. Its about your conduct, Mehta said. [1/2]Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes uses a radio as he departs with volunteers from a rally held by U.S. President Donald Trump in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. October 10, 2019. The Supreme Court rules President Joe Biden can't wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans. convicted Stewart Rhodes last November of the politically charged sedition charge and multiple other felonies, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes convicted of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 trial, The Jan. 6 attack: The cases behind the biggest criminal investigation in U.S. history. Fanone's injuries ultimately ended his career in law enforcement. This is not about your beliefs. She's also charged withobstruction of justice by withholding records relevant to the DOJ's grand jury investigation of the Capitol riot. Evidence shown to jurors showed Watkins after the 2020 election messaging with people who expressed interest in joining her Ohio militia group about military-style basic training. She wrote in January 2014, I am An Oath Keeper! Rhodes, sentencedto 18 years in prison last month, currently holds the longest sentence yet of any convicted January 6 rioter. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. "It is an offense against the people of this country.". Defense attorney Matthew Peed said Vallejo wasnt part of any Oath Keepers calls or discussions before he arrived in the Washington area a day before the riot. On the witness stand, Watkins told jurors she never intended to interfere with the certification and never heard any commands for her and other Oath Keepers to enter the building. James allegedly dressed in tactical gear to act as a security detail for a speaker at the Stop the Steal on the eve of January 6, according to the court filing. Ex-Proud Boy from Aurora gets 3 years for role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot During a nearly two-month trial in Washingtons federal court, lawyers for Watkins and the other Oath Keepers argued there was no plan to attack the Capitol. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone's body camera captured him screaming out in pain after Rodriguez shocked him with a stun gun while he was surrounded by a mob. WASHINGTON (AP) Two Army veterans who stormed the U.S. Capitol in a military-style formation with fellow members of the Oath Keepers were sentenced Friday to prison terms, a day after the far-right extremist groups founder receiveda record-setting 18-years behind barsin the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. In addition to seditious conspiracy - a felony charge involving attempting "to overthrow, put down or to destroy by force the government of the United States" - Rhodes was convicted of obstructing an official proceeding and tampering with documents. Prosecutors asked Mehta to sentence Meggs, the group's former Florida chapter leader, to 21 years in prison, although Meggs' family members urged the judge to look at the defendant's good qualities as a protector and provider in his role as a father, brother and husband. 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Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Rodriguez deployed a fire extinguisher at police officers in the tunnel and shoved a wooden pole at the police line before another rioter, Kyle Young, handed him what appeared to be a stun gun, according to prosecutors. But worthy of a multi-year prison sentence? On January 6, she wrote: THIS, America, is the REAL COUP, turning lawlessness into legal activity turning fraud into the means by which our elections are to be decided. Tap/click for details. "Mr. Rodriguez trusted Trump blindly and admired Trump so much that he referred to him as 'dad' in his social media chats leading up to Jan. 6," defence attorneys wrote, seeking a prison sentence of five years and five months for their client. Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes Faces Sentencing For - KXL According to the Associated Press, SoRelle who was acting as the general counsel for the Oath Keepers was also present at a meeting with Rhodes the night before the Capitol riots. Hall spoke at an event for League of the South, a white supremacist and neo-Confederate group. A federal jury acquitted Watkins and Harrelson of the seditious conspiracy charge that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes wasfound guilty of in November. Even after the violence that day, and after his arrest, Rhodes repeatedly invoked the prospect of political violence, the judge said. He has written a book about his Jan. 6 experience and testified in front of a House committee that investigated the insurrection, which disrupted the joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The charges against leaders of the Oath Keepers and another extremist group, the Proud Boys, are among the most serious brought in the Justice Department's massive investigation of the riot. And on Thursday, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group that helped spread claims of election fraud and planned for violence on January 6, was sentenced to 18 years. 06/30/23 9:27 AM EDT, Video & Audio D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Christopher Owens said his wife burst into tears after seeing his bruised and battered body when he finally returned home on Jan. 7, 2021. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack. Man Who Assaulted Officer on Jan. 6 Is Sentenced to More Than 12 Jackson noted that the longer, more aggressive sentence could strengthen loyal Oath Keeper supporters beliefs that the government is tyrannical, but that it could convince those who are weaker supporters of the group that its not a patriotic organization like they may have believed. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Minuta told U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta that he is ashamed of his actions, disavows the Oath Keepers and was repulsed by the lack of remorse Rhodes showed at his own sentencing. ", Rhodes, who was interrupted by the judge and asked to wrap up, said his goal in prison is to become "an American Solzhenitsyn," referring to a Soviet dissident who spent time in a labor camp, and "to expose the criminality of this regime.". Another rioter had dragged Fanone into the crowd outside a tunnel on the Capitol's Lower West Terrace, where a line of police officers was guarding an entrance to the building. Hall has also hosted a program on Oath Keepers TV and done an event for the group. "I dare say, Mr. Rhodes, and I've never said this about anyone who I've sentenced: You, sir, present an ongoing threat and peril to this country, to the republic and the very fabric of our democracy.". The following are examples of the kind of rhetoric and beliefs that Moms for Liberty is branding themselves with by hosting KrisAnne Hall: KrisAnne Hall is a member of the anti-government Oath Keepers militia and hosted a show for its streaming network. The weapons were never deployed. They're scheduled to be sentenced in August. I dont think so, he added. Only two other Jan. 6 defendants have received longer prison terms so far after hundreds of sentencing for Capitol riot cases. Of the more than 1,000 people who have so far been arrested on charges related to the riot, more than 525 have pleaded guilty and more than 65 have been found guilty, according to the Justice Department. She has spoken at previous Moms for Liberty events, including its national summit last year. All rights reserved. 3 min. "You can't blame what you did once you got there on anyone but yourself.". Ohioans in the US Capitol riot: Where are they now? Robinson has a history of making vitrolic remarks about abortion, Jewish people, LGBTQ rights, school shootings, and other topics, including defending sexual predators Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby. I truly apologize for being here, Kelly Meggs said through tears. On Wednesday, the judge heard emotional accounts from police and congressional staffers who continue to suffer from aftershocks of the assault on their workplace. Although attorneys for Rhodes vowed to appeal the conviction, they told reporters outside the courthouse that they were pleasantly surprised that Mehta did not impose a stricter sentence. Sarah N. Lynch is the lead reporter for Reuters covering the U.S. Justice Department out of Washington, D.C. During her time on the beat, she has covered everything from the Mueller report and the use of federal agents to quell protesters in the wake of George Floyds murder, to the rampant spread of COVID-19 in prisons and the department's prosecutions following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Anti-Muslim commentator Katie Gorka will also speak. All told, nine people associated with the Oath Keepers have been tried for seditious conspiracy and six were convicted of the rarely used Civil War-era charge in two separate trials, including the groups founder Stewart Rhodes. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Stone, an informal Trump adviser, has denied having any knowledge of or involvement in anything illegal on Jan. 6. The Justice Department also filed sentencing recommendations for that group, requesting prison terms of between 17 and 10 years for the four defendants. Unlike several of his followers and co-defendants, Rhodes never entered the Capitol building, instead presiding over the action like a general on the battlefield, prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler told jurors last year. By Quinn Owen, Alexander Mallin, and Luke Barr Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 25 years for Rhodes. 2021 attack. David Moerschel, 45, a neurophysiologist from Punta Gorda, and Joseph Hackett, a 52-year-old chiropractor from Sarasota, were convicted in January alongside other members of the antigovernment extremist group for their roles in what prosecutors described as a violent plot to stop the transfer power from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden after the 2020 election. Supreme Courts, The Supreme Court rules for a designer who doesnt, The Supreme Court rejects Bidens plan to wipe away, Haze, heat and storms are affecting summer festivities, Its almost time to resume student loan payments. She quoted him in June 2015 after complaining about government laws regarding children: Hall, as the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported, compared the U.S. Capitol police to Nazi S.S. troops. The publication explained: In another video, Hall suggests America is a full-on Marxist state that is bent on forcing people to become vaccinated against COVID-19.
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