Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs found guilty of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 case
A federal jury found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and member Kelly Meggs guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
WASHINGTON — A federal jury in Washington on Tuesday found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, another member of the far-right organization, guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a victory for the government in a case that involved a rarely used Civil War era statute.
Three other members of the group who were on trial alongside Rhodes and Meggs — Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell — were found not guilty on the seditious conspiracy charge. All five defendants were found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
The seditious conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Rhodes' attorneys said they plan to appeal that conviction.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes found guilty of seditious conspiracyNov. 29, 202204:45The seditious conspiracy case is the most serious to grow out of the Justice Department's sprawling investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack. The two seditious conspiracy verdicts were wins for the department, which has brought forward the relatively rare charges against a number of Oath Keepers, as well as members of the far-right Proud Boys.
Attorney General Merrick Garland lauded the work of prosecutors and federal agents, saying in a statement that the Justice Department "is committed to holding accountable those criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy on January 6, 2021."
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