Four More Members Found Guilty Of Seditious Conspiracy In Jan. 6 Case

Topline

Four more members of the Oath Keepers were found guilty of seditious conspiracy Monday, according to multiple reports, two months after Stewart Rhodes—the founder of the far-right militia—and one other member were convicted for their involvement in an attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Members of the Oath Keepers extremist group stand on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, … [+] 2021.

Key Facts

Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel and Edward Vallejo were each found guilty of seditious conspiracy by a Washington D.C. jury after four days of deliberation.

Prosecutor Louis Manzo argued the four members had acted violently in response to President Joe Biden’s election victory and had transported “guns across the country to oppose the government by force,” according to CNN.

Defense attorneys Angela Halim and Scott Weinberg argued “the breach on the Capitol was a surprise to every single Oath Keeper,” adding members of the group “just talked tough” and “never actually back it up.”

All four could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the seditious conspiracy charges.

Surprising Fact

Charges of sedition or treason are rare in U.S. history, according to the Associated Press, as fewer than 12 Americans have ever been convicted.

Key Background

Prosecutors claimed the four defendants were each responsible for stockpiling weapons outside of Washington, D.C., before two groups of Oath Keepers stormed the Capitol in an attempt to block Congress from certifying Biden’s election win on January 6, 2021. The far-right militia group, founded by Stewart Rhodes in 2009, acted as security guards at pro-Trump rallies in the area, though members of the group have denied any involvement in the assault on the Capitol. Other members of the group have since pleaded guilty to charges of seditious conspiracy, including Brian Ulrich, William Todd Wilson and Joshua James.

What To Watch For

Five members of the Proud Boys, a similar far-right extremist group, are facing seditious conspiracy charges for their involvement in the attack on the Capitol in a separate trial. Prosecutors allege the five defendants—including group chairman Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl—had plotted and encouraged violence leading up to the riot.

Tangent

In November, Rhodes and Kelly Meggs were the first people to be found guilty of seditious conspiracy charges since 1995, when an Egyptian cleric and nine followers were convicted of plotting to bomb New York City landmarks. A Christian militia group was charged with seditious conspiracy more than a decade ago, though a judge dismissed the charges.