Alleged leader of Capitol assault sentenced to 18 years in prison

2023-05-25 23:18:00

Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oaeth Keepers militia, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for sedition after participating in the 2021 Capitol storming.

By NJ with AFP

Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the far-right militia Oath Keepers was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the Capitol assault. (illustrative image)
© MANDEL NGAN / AFP

Published on 05/25/2023 at 11:18 p.m.

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Dix-eight years in prison. This is the sentence that Stewart Rhodes, one of the figures of the American far-right, will have to serve after the assault on the Capitol, which had shaken the United States on January 6, 2021. Sentenced for “sedition”, he This is the highest sentence to date for a participant in this attack. Thousands of supporters of Donald Trump had sown chaos and violence in the temple of American democracy, when elected officials certified the victory of his rival Joe Biden in the presidential election.

The sprawling investigation that followed resulted in the arrest of more than 1,000 people. Nearly 300 received prison sentences, the heaviest of which so far was 14 years.

“A danger for the country”

The founder of the “Oath Keepers” militia did not deviate from his line of conduct, claiming to be a “political prisoner”: “My only crime is to oppose those who destroy our country”, a- he launched during the hearing, in a Washington court. Federal judge Amit Mehta curtly put him in his place: “You are not a political prisoner, Mr. Rhodes,” he said. “You are here because twelve jurors […] found you guilty of sedition”, “one of the gravest crimes an American can commit”.

He also justified the severity of the sentence by the leadership role of Stewart Rhodes, a 58-year-old ex-serviceman, in the attack on the congressional headquarters, and his lack of remorse. “You represent a persistent threat and a danger to the country,” asserted the magistrate.

He denied having “planned” the attack

Only ten activists from far-right groups, six members of the “Oath Keepers” and four “Proud Boys”, have been found guilty of “sedition” after three separate trials in Washington. After weeks of hearings, jurors felt they had prepared, amassing weapons and entering military training in the Capitol to block the formalization of Joe Biden’s victory.

On D-Day, Stewart Rhodes, known for his black eyepatch and fiery diatribes, remained outside the Capitol but, according to the prosecution, he led his troops by radio “like a general on the battlefield “.

READ ALSOAssault on the Capitol: a strange gallery of portraits facing the judgesDuring his trial, the tribune had denied “planning” the attack and maintained that the “mission” of the Oath Keepers was to provide security for the demonstration called by Donald Trump to denounce alleged “electoral fraud”. Claiming to have been presented with a fait accompli, he had considered “stupid” that Kelly Meggs, who heads the Florida section of the Oath Keepers, entered the Capitol. “It opened the door to our political persecution,” he said.

Kelly Meggs, also convicted of sedition, was subsequently sentenced to twelve years in prison.

“Enjoy the Chaos”

A former soldier and law graduate from Yale University, Stewart Rhodes founded the Oath Keepers in 2009, recruiting former soldiers or police officers, initially to fight against the federal state deemed “oppressive”. Like other radical groups, this militia was seduced by Donald Trump’s anti-elite rhetoric and fully subscribed to the allegations of electoral fraud brandished, against all evidence, by the Republican.

READ ALSOCommittee on the assault on the Capitol: one season, eight episodes… And after?In court documents, lawyers for Stewart Rhodes have tried to portray them as “philanthropists”, called upon to deploy to prevent riots, after natural disasters or during demonstrations against police violence. “For Rhodes, imposing the Oath Keepers in crisis situations was not intended to help, but to contribute and profit from the chaos,” prosecutors retorted.

Judge Mehta also ruled that the presence of the leader of the Oath Keepers was not generally good news because of his “appetite for violence”. “You are intelligent, charismatic and eloquent. That’s what makes you dangerous,” he told her.