The founder of the right-wing extremist US militia Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The sentence against the 57-year-old man for “seditious conspiracy” was announced on Thursday by a federal judge in the capital Washington. It is the highest prison sentence to date in connection with the violent attack on the US Congress two months after the November 2020 presidential election.
Prosecutors have asked for 25 years in prison for Rhodes. Among other things, she had requested that “terrorist behavior” be added as an aggravating factor. Judge Amit Mehta accepted the request, but his sentence remained below the prosecutor’s request.
“Armed Rebellion”
Rhodes was found guilty of “seditious conspiracy” in November. The offense is aimed at, among other things, attempts to overthrow the US government and is rarely used in the US.
Prosecutors accused the five Oath Keepers charged at the trial with planning an “armed rebellion” against the United States government. Thus, the extremists wanted to prevent the transfer of power from President Donald Trump to his successor Joe Biden.
Members of the Oath Keepers, classified as anti-government and violent, along with hundreds of other hardcore Trump supporters, stormed the Capitol when Biden’s victory in the presidential election would finally be confirmed there.
Rhodes denies planning
According to the indictment, former soldier Rhodes, known for his black eyepatch, and the other accused Oath Keepers purchased weapons and combat equipment and stored them in a hotel near the capital. Rhodes acted “like a general on the battlefield” during his storming of the Capitol, District Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said during the trial last fall.
Rhodes denied planning an attack on the Capitol. According to him, he and his militia just wanted to ensure security at a Trump rally in Washington on the day in question.
(APA)