Judge to sentence two Oath Keepers members after sentencing group's founder to 18 years in jail

Two members of the Oath Keepers, who stormed the US Capitol in a military-style formation on 6 January 2021, will be sentenced on Friday, a day after the far-right extremist group’s founder was sentenced to 18 years in jail for seditious conspiracy and other crimes in the incident.

After giving Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes the heaviest jail term in more than 1,000 criminal counts initiated in the 6 January 2021 Capitol Riot, US District Judge Amit Mehta will sentence Army veterans Jessica Watkins and Kenneth Harrelson.

In the trial that finished in November, Watkins and Harrelson were cleared of seditious conspiracy but convicted of obstructing Congress with Rhodes and other members of the gang. One of their co-defendants, Florida chapter head Kelly Meggs, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday.

Harrelson was the Oath Keepers’ “ground team lead” when the mob stormed the Capitol on 6 January 2021 and disrupted the joint session of Congress confirming President Joe Biden’s election win. Watkins established and led a separate militia in Ohio. Harrelson and Watkins marched towards the Capitol in “stack” formations with other Oath Keepers members.

Rhodes, 58, of Granbury, Texas, was the first 6 January Capitol Riot defendant to be convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced for what prosecutors described as a weeks-long scheme to physically impede the transition of power from former President Donald Trump to Biden. Four more Oath Keepers who were convicted of sedition after a retrial in January will be sentenced next week.

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Prosecutors from the Justice Department are requesting an 18-year jail term for Watkins of Woodstock, Ohio, and a 15-year prison sentence for Harrelson of Titusville, Florida.

Mehta cancelled a sentencing hearing set for this week for another defendant, Thomas Caldwell of Berryville, Virginia, as the judge considers whether to reverse the jury’s guilty decision for obstruction and tampering with evidence.

Lawyers for Oath Keepers argued there was no plan to attack the Capitol and insisted they never intended to interfere with Congress’ certification of the election. Watkins testified at the trial that storming the Capitol was a “really stupid” decision, saying she got swept up in what seemed to be a “very American moment.” Harrelson didn’t take the witness stand.

During his sentencing Thursday, Rhodes defiantly claimed to be a “political prisoner,” criticized prosecutors and the Biden administration and tried to play down his actions on 6 January. The judge described Rhodes as a continued threat to the United States who clearly “wants democracy in this country to devolve into violence.”

The judge in Rhodes’ case agreed with the Justice Department that Rhodes’ actions should be punished as “terrorism,” which increases the recommended sentence under federal guidelines. Judges had previously rejected such requests in other 6 January cases.

The Oath Keepers’ sentences this week could serve as a guide for prosecutors in a separate 6 January case against leaders of the Proud Boys extremist group. Earlier this month, a different jury convicted former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and three other group leaders of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors said was another plot to keep Trump in the White House.

Before Thursday, the longest sentence in the more than 1,000 Capitol riot cases was 14 years and two months for a man with a long criminal record who attacked police officers with pepper spray and a chair as he stormed the Capitol. Just over 500 of the defendants have been sentenced, with more than half receiving prison time.

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