Jan. 6 Defendant Receives Lengthiest Jail Term Among Oath Keepers Founder.
Oath Keepers Founder Receives Longest Prison Sentence Yet for Jan. 6 Capitol Incursion
The founder of Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol incursion, according to Politico. This is the longest sentence given to any defendant involved in the incident to date.
Rhodes is one of 14 Jan. 6 defendants to plead guilty to or be convicted of seditious conspiracy, and the first to be sentenced, as reported by Politico. Four members of the Proud Boys were also found guilty of the same charge in early May.
During the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta told Rhodes, “The moment you are released, whenever that may be, you will be ready to take up arms against your government,” according to the Associated Press.
Prosecutors urged Mehta to hand Rhodes a minimum sentence of 25 years, arguing that he encouraged Oath Keepers members to assemble weapons that could be used in the city and prepare for violence if former President Donald Trump did not prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election results, per Politico.
Mehta applied enhanced terrorism penalties to Rhodes, citing him as “an ongoing threat and a peril to this country, to the republic and to the very fabric of our democracy,” according to Politico.
Rhodes’ Defense
Prior to sentencing, Rhodes characterized himself as a “political prisoner,” likening his case to the former president’s and Kafka’s “The Trial” – maintaining that he did not intend to disrupt the transfer of power but was present in Washington as security for speakers at the rally and noting that he never entered the Capitol.
However, Mehta cited messages sent between Rhodes and other members of the group that were revealed during last fall’s trial to demonstrate he had plans to disrupt the transfer of power, including one sent two days before the election telling members to prepare for “civil war,” according to AP.
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