The leader of the far-right militia “Oath Keepers” was convicted almost two years after the invasion of the United States Capitol.
After several days of deliberations on Tuesday (local time) in the US capital, Washington, a jury found Stewart Rhodes, leader of the right-wing extremist militia “Oath Keepers”, guilty of “seditious conspiracy” – a crime rarely recognized in history country’s court.
Rhodes was accused, along with the co-defendants, of conspiring to use force to prevent the democratic transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election. Earlier this year, the US Department of Justice filed charges against Rhodes and other participants in the attack on the Capitol. Among other things, they planned to travel to Washington in January 2021 and organized weapons, paramilitary equipment and training in combat techniques in advance, he said. Several of the defendants entered the Capitol themselves, while others took care of additional coordination outside the Capitol and partially outside the city. The maximum penalty for “seditious conspiracy” is up to 20 years in prison.
“Seditious Conspiracy” Hard to Prove
The crime of “seditious conspiracy” is not easy to prove. To do this, the prosecution must prove that two or more people conspired to overthrow the US government or used force to challenge its authority. An example of this is the verdict handed down in the 1990s against the mastermind of the first attack on the World Trade Center in New York in 1993. The last time the Justice Department indicted Christian fundamentalists from the “Hutaree” group about ten years ago for ” seditious conspiracy” onwards. However, a judge dismissed the lawsuit for lack of evidence.
Rhodes stated during the trial that he had no plans to attack the US Capitol. In addition to the 57-year-old Texas man, a prominent member of Florida’s “Oath Keepers” was found guilty of “seditious conspiracy”. Three other defendants were not convicted of the particularly politically explosive events – but of other crimes, such as obstructing official procedure. Sentencing for Rhodes and the other convicts will be determined at a later date – a date for that has yet to be set.
Defense attorney: “No evidence was presented”
“The Department of Justice is determined to hold criminals accountable for the attack on our democracy on January 6, 2021,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said following the ruling. Rhodes’ lawyers, however, reacted with disappointment to the verdict. “We believe we have presented a case which has demonstrated through evidence and testimony that Mr. Rhodes did not commit the crime of ‘seditious conspiracy,'” one of his lawyers said. “No evidence has been produced to indicate that there was a plan to attack the Capitol.”
On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump, who was eliminated at the time, invaded the Houses of Parliament in Washington to prevent Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the November 2020 elections from being confirmed. Five people died in the riots. The attack on the heart of American democracy shook the country. Trump had previously spurred his supporters on in a speech.
(APA/dpa)