Oath keepers founder failed to take responsibility for his involvement in the assault on the nation’s capitol
The founder of the far-right group known as the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, has been given an 18-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy and other offenses in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. This sentence is the lengthiest one handed down in a Jan. 6 case thus far.
On Thursday, Judge Amit Mehta from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sentenced Rhodes. During the hearing, Rhodes referred to himself as a “political prisoner” and drew comparisons to former President Donald Trump.
Rhodes, aged 58, has been requested by prosecutors to serve a 25-year prison sentence for his crimes. They expressed concern over the “threat of harm and historic significance” of his actions, making him eligible for a lengthier sentence under federal anti-terrorism laws. Judge Mehta concurred with the enhancements, noting that Rhodes failed to take responsibility for his involvement in the assault. This is the first instance of the terrorism enhancement being applied to a Jan. 6 defendant.
After his sentencing, Rhodes’ co-defendant, Kelly Meggs, who led the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers, was also given a prison sentence of 12 years. Meggs was found guilty of seditious conspiracy along with Rhodes in November. Prosecutors allege that he was the one who spearheaded the attempt to breach the Capitol.
Delivering a withering rebuke to Rhodes before handing down his sentence, Judge Mehta warned that Rhodes presents “an ongoing threat and a peril to this country and its democracy.” “Seditious conspiracy is among the most serious crimes an individual American can commit,” he said. “It’s an offense against the government, to use force. It’s an offense against the people of the country.”
Rhodes’ behavior on Jan. 6
The government’s pre-sentencing filings state that Rhodes, the initial defendant found guilty of seditious conspiracy in relation to the January 6th events, purportedly urged Oath Keepers and other individuals to utilize a massive crowd to intimidate Congress and prevent the certification of the upcoming US President.
Before receiving his sentence, Rhodes addressed the judge and expressed sympathy for the trauma experienced by many law enforcement officials during the attack. He argued that the majority of Oath Keepers were not violent that day and that the prosecution was only serving to further divide the country. Rhodes also stated that the Oath Keepers were not present at the Capitol to instigate violence, unlike other groups such as the Proud Boys.
Prosecutors allege that Rhodes and his accomplices from the Oath Keepers premeditated the violent actions prior to the Capitol breach. They communicated through encrypted messages and radios during the attack and even rejoiced in their actions afterward.
Per prosecutors, the plan was initiated on December 19, 2020, when the former President Trump urged his supporters to gather for a rally in Washington D.C. on January 6th, which he described as “wild.” The evidence presented during the trial indicated that Rhodes’ rhetoric became increasingly extreme as the attack approached, with him discussing revolutions and civil war.
Who is Elmer Stewart Rhodes III?
Elmer Stewart Rhodes III (born 1966) is a disbarred American lawyer. He founded Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government militia. In his writings, Rhodes mentioned that his father left him and his mother when he was three years old. He grew up with his mother and her family, who were Mexican-American. Rhodes wed Tasha Adams in 1994, after meeting her a few years earlier in Las Vegas. While Rhodes was a 25-year-old college student. During their marriage, Adams supported Rhodes’ education financially by working as an exotic dancer. Before tying the knot, Rhodes accidentally shot himself in the face with a .22 handgun after dropping it, leaving him to use a prosthetic eyeball. Adams filed for divorce in 2018, accusing Rhodes of emotional and physical abuse.
