Oath Keepers leader and associates convicted of multiple charges in seditious conspiracy case - CNN

Washington, DC CNN  — 

A Washington, DC, assemblage connected Tuesday convicted Oath Keepers person Stewart Rhodes and subordinate Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy for their relation astir the January 6, 2021, onslaught connected the US Capitol.

While the assemblage divided connected a fig of different charges brought against the 5 alleged members of the right-wing militia group, adjacent 2 blameworthy verdicts connected the seditious conspiracy complaint marked a important triumph for the Justice Department and was hailed arsenic vindication by the House prime committee investigating the insurrection. The historical transgression proceedings – the archetypal of 3 seditious conspiracy cases acceptable to commencement this twelvemonth – was a large trial of the department’s quality to clasp January 6 rioters accountable.

The complaint has rarely been brought in the period and a fractional that the statute and its forerunners person been connected the books. By utilizing it against members of the Oath Keepers the section is expressing that it sees the breach of the Capitol arsenic a sedate menace to the cognition of the US government.

Prosecutors had argued that the onslaught connected the US Capitol was much than conscionable a governmental protestation that got retired of control, but alternatively a convulsive onslaught connected the spot of American ideology and an effort to support Joe Biden retired of the Oval Office by immoderate means necessary.

“The FBI volition ever uphold the rights of each citizens who peacefully prosecute successful First Amendment protected activities, but we and our partners volition proceed to clasp accountable those who engaged successful amerciable acts regarding the January 6, 2021, siege connected the US Capitol,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said successful a connection Tuesday.

The Justice Department alleged that the Oath Keepers members – Rhodes, Meggs, Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell – conspired to forcibly halt the peaceful transportation of statesmanlike powerfulness from then-President Donald Trump to Biden and plotted to onslaught the US Capitol.

Jurors considered 10 charges against the 5 defendants, including 3 conspiracy charges, obstructing the certification of the electoral assemblage ballot and tampering with documents. The defendants were convicted connected aggregate charges, and each 5 were recovered blameworthy of obstructing an authoritative proceeding. The charge, similar the seditious conspiracy charge, carries a 20-year maximum situation sentence.

It remains to beryllium seen however overmuch clip each suspect volition serve, arsenic Judge Amit Mehta could contented a condemnation that exceeds 20 years oregon determine to condemnation them to acold little than the allowed maximum.

Mehta said successful tribunal that 4 of the defendants, including Rhodes, volition stay down bars. Only 1 suspect – Caldwell – had been connected pretrial release.

Sentencing hearings typically hap 90 days aft a verdict is reached.

Lawyers for the defendants said they were disappointed successful the verdict but believed their clients had received a just trial.

“I bash judge that they gave america a just trial,” James Lee Bright, an lawyer for Rhodes, told reporters extracurricular the courthouse. Bright added, however, that helium believed the verdict “could person been substantially different” if the proceedings had been moved extracurricular of Washington, DC.

As the verdict was being work successful the national courtroom, the 5 defendants expressed small emotion. Rhodes, who founded the Oath Keepers successful 2009 and has led the radical ever since, had his caput down, penning notes to 1 of his attorneys.

Members of the prosecution congratulated each different aft the assemblage had left, but declined to commented connected the verdict. They said the 57-year-old Rhodes had stood extracurricular the Capitol connected January 6 acting similar a “general” arsenic his followers breached the building.

Meggs, 53, is simply a person of the Oath Keepers’ Florida section and, according to the government, led the infamous “stack” enactment of Oath Keepers wrong the Capitol connected January 6. Harrelson, 41, allegedly acted arsenic Meggs’ right-hand antheral connected the time of the attack.

Watkins led her ain militia successful Ohio before joining the Oath Keepers successful the aftermath of the 2020 election. Prosecutors accidental the 40-year-old, who is transgender, allegedly entered the Capitol with Harrelson and Meggs and coordinated with Caldwell successful the weeks anterior to the attack.

Caldwell, a 68-year-old who testified that helium is not a subordinate of the Oath Keepers, allegedly helped signifier the equipped speedy absorption unit stationed extracurricular of Washington connected January 6. He besides hosted Oath Keepers astatine his Virginia farm, prosecutors said, and communicated with Watkins during the riot.

The proceedings began much than 7 weeks agone and featured hundreds of messages, audio recordings and videos of the defendants’ revolutionary rhetoric successful the aftermath of Biden’s 2020 statesmanlike triumph and of their actions arsenic they moved crossed the Capitol grounds during the riot.

Defense attorneys argued that that determination was nary uniformed program among the group, that the far-right Oath Keepers militia radical lone attended the “Stop the Steal rally” connected the time of the riot to supply information details for speakers, and that the inflammatory recordings of the defendants were thing much than “locker country talk.”

Here’s a breakdown of the assemblage verdicts:

COUNT 1: Seditious conspiracy

All 5 defendants were accused of readying to usage unit to halt the lawful transportation of statesmanlike powerfulness connected January 6.

Rhodes: GUILTY

Meggs: GUILTY

Harrelson: NOT GUILTY

Watkins: NOT GUILTY

Caldwell: NOT GUILTY

COUNT 2: Conspiracy to Obstruct an authoritative proceeding

All the defendants faced charges alleging that they conspired unneurotic to halt Congress from certifying the Electoral College votes wrong the Capitol.

Rhodes: NOT GUILTY

Meggs: GUILTY

Harrelson: NOT GUILTY

Watkins: GUILTY

Caldwell: NOT GUILTY

COUNT 3: Obstructing an Official Proceeding

In summation to being accused of conspiring to obstruct an authoritative proceeding, each were recovered blameworthy of really committing the act.

Rhodes: GUILTY

Meggs: GUILTY

Harrelson: GUILTY

Watkins: GUILTY

Caldwell: GUILTY

COUNT 4: Conspiracy to forestall an serviceman from discharging immoderate duties

The indictment alleged that each 5 defendants worked unneurotic to “prevent by force, intimidation, and threat… Members of the United States Congress, from discharging immoderate duties,” namely, certifying the results of the 2020 election.

Rhodes: NOT GUILTY

Meggs: GUILTY

Harrelson: GUILTY

Watkins: GUILTY

Caldwell: NOT GUILTY

COUNT 5: Destruction of Government Property and Aiding and Abetting

Meggs, Harrelson and Watkins, according to prosecutors, were portion of a assemblage that burst done the Capitol’s Rotunda doors connected January 6.

Meggs: NOT GUILTY

Harrelson: NOT GUILTY

Watkins: NOT GUILTY

COUNT 6: Civil Disorder and Aiding and Abetting

Jurors considered whether Watkins interfered with instrumentality enforcement erstwhile she allegedly joined a assemblage adjacent the Senate chamber, pushed against and shouted astatine officers who were guarding the enclosure doors.

Watkins: GUILTY

COUNT 7, 8, 9 and 13: Tampering with Documents

Rhodes, Meggs, Harrelson and Caldwell each faced charges for allegedly deleting messages and pictures from their phones oregon societal media accounts aft January 6. Prosecutors besides alleged that Rhodes instructed different Oath Keepers to delete messages aft the riot.

Rhodes: GUILTY

Meggs: GUILTY

Harrelson: GUILTY

Caldwell: GUILTY

This communicative has been updated with further details Tuesday.