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☆ Convicted Oath Keeper's attorney says it's 'ridiculous' prosecutors appealed for a harsher sentence and that the feds should 'channel their inner Elsa and just let it go'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A lawyer for a convicted Oath Keeper slammed the DOJ for appealing his client's sentence. Prosecutors requested a 10-year sentence for David Moerschel; he was ultimately sentenced to three. "I wish they would channel their inner Elsa and just let it go." "Typical DOJ, they got their pound of flesh and still want more," Scott Weinberg, who represents David Moerschel, told Insider. The defendants whose sentences the DOJ appealed are Moerschel, Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, and Edward Vallejo.

Persons: David Moerschel, Elsa, Scott Weinberg, Donald Trump, Moerschel, Elmer Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, Edward Vallejo, Amit Mehta, Rhodes, Robert Mueller Organizations: Prosecutors, Service, Justice Department, Capitol, DOJ Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Prosecutors are 'sending a message' by asking for harsher sentences for Oath Keepers defendants: DOJ official
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The DOJ wants harsher sentences for eight Oath Keepers members convicted over the Capitol riot. One department official told Insider the DOJ is "really sending a message" by appealing the 8 defendants' sentences. "It's very unusual for DOJ to appeal, but these are unusual cases and unusual times," said the Justice Department official, who requested anonymity to speak about the cases. The DOJ appeal filing didn't include details laying out prosecutors' reasoning; the department official told Insider those details will be laid out in court later. "Typical DOJ, they got their pound of flesh and still want more," Moerschel's lawyer Scott Weinberg told Insider.

Persons: it's, Andrew Weissmann, Robert Mueller's, Weissmann, Elmer Stewart Rhodes, Amit Mehta, Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, Edward Vallejo, David Moerschel, It's, Moerschel, Scott Weinberg, Elsa, Weinberg, William Shipley, Minuta, Meggs, Harrelson, Watkins, Hackett, Vallejo Organizations: DOJ, Capitol, Service, Department, Justice Department, Organization Locations: Wall, Silicon, Robert Mueller's Russia

☆ Two More Oath Keepers Members Receive Sentences for Sedition in Jan. 6 Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Zach Montague | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal judge sentenced two members of the Oath Keepers militia to less than four years in prison for seditious conspiracy on Friday, placing a brake on the government’s effort to impose lengthy terms on members of the group for roles in the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. The two men, David Moerschel and Joseph Hackett, who traveled from Florida to join the Oath Keepers in Washington on Jan. 6, received terms of three years and three and a half years, respectively. Judge Amit P. Mehta, who has presided over three separate Oath Keepers trials that all have now concluded, diverged from federal guidelines in his decisions in Federal District Court in Washington this week. The judge veered toward leniency with members lower in the Oath Keepers’ hierarchy. Two others convicted of seditious conspiracy were sentenced this week to no more than four and a half years in prison.

Persons: David Moerschel, Joseph Hackett, Amit P, Mehta, Prosecutors, Moerschel, Hackett, Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs Organizations: Court, Mr Locations: Florida, Washington

The founder of the far-right Oath Keepers has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol following his conviction on seditious conspiracy. Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy in November along with Kelly Meggs, a fellow Oath Keepers member who will be sentenced later Thursday afternoon. "I had no idea that any Oath Keeper was even thinking about going inside or would go inside," Rhodes said. With Trump (preferably) or without him, we have no choice," Rhodes wrote in a message ahead of Jan. 6. "Patriots, it was a long day but a day when patriots began to stand," Rhodes wrote the night of Jan. 6.

Persons: Stewart Rhodes, Amit Mehta, Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Meggs, Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson, Thomas Caldwell, Watkins, Harrelson, Peter Schwartz, Schwartz Organizations: Trump, Patriots Locations: Olive Garden, Virginia

[1/2] Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes is seen on video during the hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 9, 2022. The Justice Department is also seeking a sentence of 21 years for another Oath Keepers leader, Kelly Meggs, who was also found guilty in November of seditious conspiracy by a Washington, D.C., jury. The same Washington jury that convicted Rhodes and Meggs cleared three other co-defendants, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell, of seditious conspiracy. The charges of seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding each carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Four other members of the Oath Keepers were convicted in January of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the attack.

Proud Boys former leader, Enrique Tarrio, and 3 others were found guilty of seditious conspiracy on Thursday. Seditious conspiracy is when people conspire to overthrow, put down, or destroy the government. Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, and Zachary Rehl were all found guilty of seditious conspiracy as well as charges of conspiracy to obstruct Congress. But, the prosecutors succeeded, and the four convicted Proud Boys members could face up to 20 years in prison. The jury is still split about seditious conspiracy and obstruction charges against a fifth Proud Boys member, Dominic Pezzola, according to NBC News.

☆ Oath Keepers Members Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy in Jan. 6 Riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jan Wolfe | C. Ryan Barber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Members of the Oath Keepers at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A jury on Monday found four Oath Keepers members guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, handing down the latest criminal convictions against the far-right group. The verdict came nearly two months after Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and another member of the militia group, Kelly Meggs, were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, a rarely used charge with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. In that earlier trial, three other members of the Oath Keepers were found guilty of lesser charges.

A jury on Monday convicted four members of the extremist group the Oath Keepers of seditious conspiracy. The trial, which started Dec. 12, included testimony from Brian Ulrich, a member of the Oath Keepers’ Georgia chapter who had pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding. ... I’m not afraid and I’m ready to f---ing go.”The four defendants were charged as part of the same seditious conspiracy case involving Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes that went to trial in October. Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, the leader of the group’s Florida chapter, were convicted of seditious conspiracy in November. The maximum sentence for seditious conspiracy — a rarely used Civil War era statute — is 20 years in federal prison.

Prosecutors began delivering opening arguments Thursday in the seditious conspiracy trial of former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four other members of the far-right extremist group involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. After the election, Tarrio posted on social media that the presidency was being stolen and vowed that his group won't "go quietly," prosecutors said. Tarrio, prosecutors say, was aware of discussions around a plan to storm the Capitol and was involved in discussions about occupying buildings, including in the Capitol complex. The group helped rile up the crowd on the day of the rally and successfully led rioters to break past police barricades and into the Capitol, prosecutors said. A protester, who claims to be a member of the Proud Boys, confronts police officers outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.

☆ Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio's lawyer blames Trump for January 6, says the ex-president 'unleashed this mob on the Capitol'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An attorney for Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio blamed Trump for the January 6 riot. "You will never see a message from Enrique Tarrio advocating to storm the Capitol," Jauregui said. In his opening statements, Jauregui also defended the Proud Boys, an organization founded in 2016 that calls itself "Western-chauvinist." Watchdog groups have labeled the Proud Boys as extremist and a hate group. "The Proud Boys think that America is the best."

☆ Proud Boys 'did not stand back' as Trump once said but 'mobilized' on January 6, prosecutor argues in trial opening
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The trial of Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four other members opened Thursday. "Make no mistake…," read one text from Tarrio sent at 2:40 p.m. after rioters broke into the Capitol, according to prosecutors. "I'm proud as fuck at what we accomplished yesterday," read one message from Biggs, according to prosecutors. The DOJ also invoked comments made by Trump during a September 29, 2020, presidential debate, telling the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" when he was pushed to condemn white supremacists and militia groups. "When it became clear that Donald Trump would be voted out of office," McCullough said Thursday, "these men did not stand back, they did not stand by, instead, they mobilized."

☆ The Oath Keepers promised to defend liberty — and ended up trying to overthrow American democracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Oath Keepers were founded in 2009, pledging to stand up to tyranny. The Oath Keepers, to be sure, are not to be confused with a charming but a little bit problematic ex. A look at the list of 10 orders the Oath Keepers insisted its members — cops and soldiers — would not carry out reveals as much. Thanks to the magic of the Internet Archive, however, we can see just how they were received on the Oath Keepers' website at the time. But there is, in my take, nothing different about the underlying threat that Oath Keepers posed from day one."

☆ A rioter who assaulted police officers at the Capitol gets 5 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Authorities say “boogaloo” referred to to civil war. On Jan. 6, prosecutors say Sandlin led the mob’s charge against officers at two points at the Capitol, shoved officers and tried to rip the helmet off of one of them. Authorities say DeCarlo scrawled the words on the door. Video shows them throwing smoke grenades toward a line of police trying to keep the mob from the stage set up for Biden’s inauguration, authorities say. DeCarlo also rummaged through a Capitol police officer’s bag and stole a pair of plastic handcuffs, prosecutors said.

Formal organizations like the Oath Keepers no longer define the American right-wing landscape. If Biden’s election was illegitimate, the Oath Keepers were ready to defend Trump’s legitimate one. And indeed, the trial has revealed the brazenness of the Oath Keepers, as well as some profound shifts happening in the American right. The evidence of a seditious conspiracy introduced in the Oath Keepers’ trial was damning, yet obvious. While certainly more polished, some of Masters’ talking points would not be out of place at an Oath Keepers meeting.

☆ Oath Keepers founder's estranged wife 'beyond happy' for his Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy conviction: 'I am thrilled that he's finally facing justice.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Ashley Collman | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy on Tuesday. Rhodes' estranged wife told Insider she was happy with the conviction. "I am beyond happy," Adams told Insider. On top of their seditious conspiracy convictions, Rhodes and Meggs were found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding. When examining the case against members of the Proud Boys who were also charged with seditious conspiracy, McDaniel said they could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.

☆ U.S. Capitol riot sedition prosecutions won't get easier, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Prosecutors secured a victory when two key figures in last year's U.S. Capitol attack were convicted of seditious conspiracy. It marked the first time in nearly three decades that federal prosecutors won a conviction for seditious conspiracy. At the same time, co-defendants Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell were acquitted of seditious conspiracy, and the verdict was mixed on two other conspiracy charges. The obstruction and the seditious conspiracy charges each carry potential 20-year prison sentences. For example, the four defendants in the next Oath Keepers trial played secondary roles similar to the defendants acquitted of seditious conspiracy in the Rhodes trial.

☆ January 6 hearing's Oath Keepers testimony revealed a dangerous pivot
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Jon Lewis | Jon Lewis Is A Research Fellow At The Program On Extremism At George Washington University | Where He Studies Domestic | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

): In a mixed verdict, a jury on Tuesday found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, another member of the far-right organization, guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with U.S. Capitol riot. Tuesday’s Jan. 6 committee hearing provided the most comprehensive roadmap to date of how domestic extremist groups, specifically the Oath Keepers, were mobilized to the U.S. Capitol. Testimony and private messages released by the committee have supported evidence presented during the ongoing prosecution of 32 members and affiliates of the Oath Keepers of their role in the insurrection. In D.C., Oath Keepers provided security for VIP’s and Rhodes gave a speech to the crowd calling on Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act to remain in power. The Oath Keepers certainly achieved the former, but the latter is a different story.

☆ Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy in Jan. 6 Case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Jan Wolfe | Byron Tau | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—A jury on Tuesday found two members of the Oath Keepers militia group guilty of seditious conspiracy by plotting to forcefully disrupt the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election, and convicted three others on lesser charges in the closely watched trial stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. After a seven-week trial in Washington and three days of deliberations, the jury said Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and one of his co-defendants, Kelly Meggs, plotted to use force to block Congress from formally certifying President Biden‘s election victory.

☆ What is the potential penalty if someone is convicted of 'seditious conspiracy'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes and member Kelly Meggs were found guilty Tuesday of seditious conspiracy. Seditious conspiracy is when people conspire to overthrow, put down, or destroy the government. Seditious conspiracy, sometimes referred to as "sedition," is a law that first originated in 1789 to prosecute speech critical of the government. In order for the Proud Boys to be convicted of the seditious conspiracy charges, McDaniels said, four elements have to be proven in court. While McDaniels said he believes the case of the Proud Boys attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6 is a textbook case of seditious conspiracy, proving all four of those elements will likely be a challenge for prosecutors.

☆ Guilty: Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy in the most significant January 6 case yet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A jury found Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes guilty of engaging in a seditious conspiracy. Three other members of the far-right group were found not guilty of joining in that conspiracy. Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy alongside Kelly Meggs, another member of the Oath Keepers. "Now, going forward, there are people higher up than the Oath Keepers who were potentially involved in the conspiracy," he told Insider. Just as he distanced himself from Oath Keepers who entered the Capitol, Rhodes sought to downplay the far-right group's references to quick reaction forces, or QRFs, in his testimony before jurors.

[1/3] Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes holds 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. Rhodes in 2009 founded the Oath Keepers, a militia group whose members include current and retired U.S. military personnel, law enforcement officers and first responders. Prosecutors during the trial said Rhodes and his co-defendants planned to use force to prevent Congress from formally certifying Biden's election victory. Caldwell, who like Rhodes did not enter the Capitol building and never formally joined the Oath Keepers, tried to downplay some of the inflammatory texts he sent in connection with the attack. Four other Oath Keepers members charged with seditious conspiracy are due to go to trial in December.

☆ Oath Keepers founder found guilty of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Daniel Barnes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

WASHINGTON — A federal jury in Washington found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. All five defendants faced felony counts of seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, and conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging their duties. Three of the defendants — Rhodes, Caldwell and Watkins — took the stand in their own defense, with Rhodes telling jurors it was "stupid" for Oath Keepers to go inside the Capitol. While three other Oath Keepers pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy, none of them testified during the trial. Four other Oath Keepers charged in conjunction with Rhodes — Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel and Ed Vallejo —are set to go to trial in early December.

☆ Video: Ex-FBI Deputy Director on the message the Oath Keepers jury verdict sends to domestic extremists
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and fellow group member Kelly Meggs have been convicted by a Washington, DC, jury of seditious conspiracy for their role around the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. They, along with the other three defendants were convicted of obstructing an official proceeding. CNN's Brianna Keilar and panel experts discuss.

He is the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, which U.S. officials have described as an anti-government group. According to the indictment, Rhodes began encouraging his Oath Keepers followers in November 2020 to "oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power." Caldwell has denied he was a member of the Oath Keepers, but prosecutors have said he has strong ties to the group. KENNETH HARRELSONHarrelson, 41, of Titusville, Florida, helped Meggs organize the Florida Oath Keepers and was part of the militia group that stormed into the Capitol building, according to the indictment. JESSICA WATKINSWatkins, 40, of Woodstock, Ohio, led the Ohio team of Oath Keepers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to the indictment.

☆ Jury to begin deliberating in Oath Keepers' Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | Ryan J. Reilly Is A Justice Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes III is facing trial alongside four other defendants: Jessica Watkins, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell. Watkins, Meggs and Harrelson went inside the Capitol during the attack, while Rhodes and Caldwell were present on restricted Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. Federal prosecutors have not proven that the Oath Keepers had an organized plan to storm the Capitol before Jan. 6. Three defendants — Rhodes, Caldwell and Watkins — took the stand in their own defense during the trial, which began with opening arguments on Oct. 3. In 1995, a jury convicted "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel-Rahman and others on seditious conspiracy charges in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

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