A federal judge in Washington on Thursday sentenced the 57-year-old man to “seditious conspiracy” for invading the House and Senate headquarters two months after the November 2020 presidential election.
Prosecutors have asked for 25 years in prison for Rhodes, who was found guilty last November. 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.
“Persistent Threat and Danger”
The president, however, was tough on Rhodes. “You represent an ongoing threat and danger to our country,” he told the convict. “You’re smart, charismatic, and attractive, and frankly, that makes you dangerous.”
AP/Dana Verkouteren accused of planning an “armed rebellion” against the US government
The crime of “seditious conspiracy,” which includes attempts to overthrow the US government, is rarely used in the United States. Prosecutors charged Rhodes and four other Oath Keepers defendants at the trial with planning an “armed rebellion” against the United States government. The extremists wanted to prevent ousted Republican President Donald Trump from handing over to his Democratic successor, current US President Joe Biden.
“Like a General on the Battlefield”
Members of the Oath Keepers militia, which has been classified as anti-government and violent, along with hundreds of other radical Trump supporters, stormed the Capitol in Washington when Biden’s victory in the presidential election was supposed to finally be confirmed there.
AP/John Minchillo riots outside the US Capitol in January 2021
The former army member 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.
According to the indictment, however, 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 the invasion of the Capitol, although he himself did not enter the Houses of Parliament.
Trump’s Fatal Call
After the presidential election, Trump refused to acknowledge his defeat and raised accusations of voter fraud that were often refuted. At noon on January 6, 2021, the Republican called on his supporters to march to the Capitol and fight “whatever the hell”. The ensuing attack on the Capitol, which left five dead, caused international outrage and is considered a dark day in the history of American democracy.
18 years in prison for founder of US right-wing militia
The founder of the far-right US militia Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Capitol Storm of January 6, 2021. The sentence against the 57-year-old man for “seditious conspiracy” was announced by a federal judge in 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.
To date, authorities have arrested more than 1,000 suspects in connection with the Capitol storm. Several Oath Keepers and members of the Proud Boys militia, which was also far-right, were found guilty of “seditious conspiracy”. Rhodes described himself as a “political prisoner” at Thursday’s sentencing hearing. “My only crime is to oppose the destruction of our country,” said the 57-year-old.
Extremist right-wing militia founded in 2009
Judge Mehta strongly disagreed: “You are not a political prisoner, Mr. Rhodes.” Seditious conspiracy is “one of the most serious crimes an American can commit.”
Former soldier Rhodes, a Yale University law graduate, founded the Oath Keepers in 2009. In particular, the militia recruits former or current police officers and soldiers and wants to defend itself against an alleged tyranny of the US government. As with other extremist groups, there is widespread sympathy for Trump among the Oath Keepers.
Trump, who has already entered the 2024 presidential race, has yet to be prosecuted by the US judiciary for invading the Capitol. However, a special investigator employed by the Department of Justice in Washington is looking into the 76-year-old Republican’s possible criminal responsibility.