Stewart Rhodes is the founder of the Oath Keepers. © Susan Walsh/AP
In January 2021, Trump supporters stormed the seat of the US Parliament in Washington. One of the instigators is Stewart Rhodes. A court is now imposing a maximum sentence for seditious conspiracy.
More than two years after the storming of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, the leader of a far-right militia has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. The founder of the "Oath Keepers", Stewart Rhodes, had already been found guilty of the seditious conspiracy in November. On Thursday, a court in the U.S. capital set the sentence. The 18-year prison sentence is the highest sentence ever imposed for the attack on the seat of the US Parliament in January 2021, US media reported.
The 58-year-old had been found guilty of having forged a plot – with the aim of preventing the democratic change of power after the election of Republican President Donald Trump in 2020 by force. The offence of seditious conspiracy is particularly serious. In the judicial history of the United States, it has been used very rarely so far. Four other members of the "Oath Keepers" have already been convicted. According to a report by CNN on Thursday, the court also set the sentence for member Kelly Meggs: twelve years in prison.
For seditious conspiracy, a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison can be imposed. However, the prosecution must prove that there was a conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government or to violently defy its authority. Trump supporters had stormed the seat of the US Congress to prevent the election victory of Democrat Joe Biden in November 2020 from being confirmed. There were several deaths. Trump had incited his supporters in a speech. Dpa