Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. Photo: Supplied / US Dept of Justice
The leader of a far-right militia has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the US Capitol riot.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was convicted on charges of seditious conspiracy and other crimes.
Rhodes stayed outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021, but co-ordinated with militia members who stormed the building.
The sentence is the longest yet given to a Capitol rioter. Prosecutors had asked for 25 years.
Rhodes was also convicted last year of obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents or proceedings in one of the highest-profile Capitol riot trials.
At a hearing on Thursday, the militia leader showed little remorse, claiming he was a political prisoner and insisting the Oath Keepers only intended to protect other protesters.
Judge Amit Mehta rejected those claims and expressed concern about Rhodes' violent rhetoric, including a threat to hang former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The sentence given to Rhodes was the longest handed out so far for the riot, where thousands of supporters of Donald Trump who objected to the result of the 2020 presidential election stormed the US legislature.
Rhodes, a former US Army paratrooper and Yale-educated lawyer, founded the Oath Keepers in 2009.
Armed members of the anti-government group showed up at a number of protests and standoffs, and eventually became staunch supporters of Donald Trump. Dozens were present at the riot.
What did the Oath Keepers do on January 6?
Rhodes began a campaign to reject the results of the election two days after the November 2020 vote, while ballots were still being counted.
He messaged supporters: "We aren't getting through this without a civil war … prepare your mind, body, spirit."
Rhodes and other Oath Keepers then spent thousands of dollars on weapons and equipment and stashed them in a hotel room in nearby Virginia just prior to 6 January 2021.
During the riot itself, Rhodes stayed outside the building taking phone calls and messages while other Oath Keepers stormed the building.
Prosecutors said he acted like a "battlefield general" during the melee.
Defence lawyers argued that the weapons stash was never used and that the militia was on a purely defensive mission. They plan to appeal the convictions.
What is seditious conspiracy?
Kelly Meggs, the leader of the militia's Florida chapter, was scheduled to be sentenced later on Thursday (US time).
Meggs was also convicted of seditious conspiracy, a little-used Civil War-era law that carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
It was distinct from the crime of treason, which carried a high burden of proof outlined in the US Constitution, and can lead to the death penalty.
Three other Oath Keepers who went on trial at the same time as Rhodes and Meggs were found not guilty of seditious conspiracy but were convicted of lesser charges.
Judge Mehta ruled in favour of prosecutors who argued for a stiffer sentence for Rhodes under a so-called "terrorism enhancement". They argued that the Oath Keepers sought to use "intimidation or coercion" against the US government.
Four other Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy in January, and four members of the far-right Proud Boys were convicted on the charge earlier this month.
Most of the Capitol rioters were not part of an organised group, however.
In total, more than 1000 people have been arrested in connection with the riot, and more than half have pled guilty to crimes including assault, theft, weapons charges, trespassing and obstructing an official proceeding.
About 80 have been found guilty following a trial, according to the US Justice Department.
- BBC
