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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.

[1/3] Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio speaks to members of the media as he leaves the D.C. Central Detention Facility where he had been held since September 2021, in Washington, U.S., January 14, 2022. All five Proud Boys defendants have pleaded not guilty and their attorneys will argue that they did not plot to block the peaceful transfer of power. "Dude, we're right in front of the Capitol right now. American citizens are storming the Capitol - taking it back right now," Biggs said on a video he recorded of himself. The indictment said Pezzola used the stolen shield to break a window, allowing members of the mob to enter the Capitol.

☆ 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."

☆ 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."

☆ 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."

☆ Rep. Zoe Lofgren crashed Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio's January 6 deposition to ask why he called her the C-word on Telegram
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Rep. Zoe Lofgren interrupted the Proud Boys' Enrique Tarrio's Capitol-riot deposition. "I see that Ms. Lofgren has come onto video," a committee lawyer whose name is redacted is recorded as saying. "I just don't understand why that's just such a big deal," Tarrio's lawyer said, dismissing Telegram as "just kind of a really nasty Irish bar scene." Tarrio told committee members: "I took it to be, like, 'Hey, the election's coming up. The Proud Boys seditious-conspiracy trial follows the November seditious-conspiracy conviction of the Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and is expected to last about six weeks.

☆ Key things to watch out for in the Jan. 6 report beyond Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Michael Conway | Michael Conway Was Counsel For The House Judiciary Committee In The Impeachment Inquiry Of President Richard Nixon In In That Role | He Assisted In Drafting The Committee'S Final Report To The House In Support Of The Three Articles Of Impeachment Adopted The Committee. Conway Is A Graduate Of Yale Law School | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

The expected recommendation that former President Donald Trump be prosecuted would be a political thunderbolt. For initial news reporting, journalists will gravitate to it rather than the report itself, and so will the general public. The expected recommendation that former President Donald Trump be prosecuted would be a political thunderbolt. On Thursday, House Democrats introduced legislation to bar Trump from holding federal office in the future. For prosecutors who have subpoenaed key witnesses to testify to a federal grand jury, this would create a unique advantage.

☆ Oath Keepers: Second seditious conspiracy trial against Oath Keepers begins with opening statements
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Justice Department prosecuted the first Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy case earlier this fall with mixed success – two leaders, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, were convicted of the charge while three others were acquitted. That adjustment was on full display Monday, as prosecutor Troy Edwards delivered his opening argument to the jury. Prosecutors struggled at times during the first trial to explain whether Rhodes directly ordered his militia to enter the Capitol building. Rhodes told them it was now time to take their place in history,” Edwards said. When the Oath Keepers heard that the Capitol had been breached, Edwards said they hustled toward the chaos.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

[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.

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.

“For these defendants, the attack on the Capitol was a means to an end,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy told jurors. Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP fileBright told jurors there was not evidence of a "meeting of the minds" on seditious conspiracy. “We’ve had 50 witnesses in this case, not one person has testified to you there was a plan,” Bright said. Oath Keepers were upset about the results of the 2020 election, but them venting their frustrations to each other doesn’t constitute a conspiracy, Bright argued. Rhodes told you in his own words he was prepared to start a rebellion the day that president Biden took office,” Rakoczy said, referring back to Rhodes’ testimony in his own defense.

☆ U.S. Urges Jury to Convict Oath Keepers as Jan. 6 Sedition Trial Nears End
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Jan Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An artist sketch of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who testified that it was ‘really stupid’ of members of his militia to breach the Capitol. WASHINGTON—Federal prosecutors urged jurors to convict members of the Oath Keepers militia for plotting to violently overthrow the U.S. government, presenting their closing arguments in the first sedition trial stemming from last year’s Capitol riot. “These defendants repeatedly called for the violent overthrow of the United States government, and they followed those words with action,” Justice Department lawyer Kathryn Rakoczy told jurors during a closing argument on Friday.

WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - A federal prosecutor on Friday urged a Washington jury to convict far-right Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four of his associates for plotting to use force on Jan. 6, 2021, to block Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election. The government asserts the Oath Keepers conspired to use force to keep Republican former President Donald Trump in power by stopping Congress from certifying Biden's election victory, with defendants Meggs, Watkins and Harrelson entering the building clad in tactical gear. Prosecutors also allege the Oath Keepers staged a "quick reaction force" in a nearby Virginia hotel, a plan which entailed stockpiling firearms that could be ferried across the river into the capital if needed. More than 900 people have been charged in the Capitol attack, which led members of Congress to run for cover as thousands of Trump's supporters stormed the building. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

In the United States and some other countries, 'Black Friday' is a bargain shopping day that marks the start of the holiday shopping season. The government contends the Oath Keepers plotted to use force to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory, with defendants Meggs, Watkins and Harrelson entering the building clad in tactical gear. Prosecutors also allege the Oath Keepers staged a "quick reaction force" in a nearby Virginia hotel, a plan which entailed stockpiling firearms that could be ferried across the river into the capital if needed. Then this week, defendant Thomas Caldwell, the only other defendant in this case apart from Rhodes who did not physically enter the building, also testified in his own defense. Caldwell later broke down crying as he recalled his wife's reaction on the day the FBI searched his home.

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