Oath Keepers founder/leader Stewart Rhodes (screen capture)Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for organizing and leading a plot to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election via the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
Rhodes was found guilty of seditious conspiracy by a jury in November. This 18 year prison sentence is the longest (so far) to be handed down in a January 6 case.
JUST IN: Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy over plot to keep Trump in powerhttps://t.co/6rrYt9otI5
— CNN (@CNN) May 25, 2023
From CNN:
“What we absolutely cannot have is a group of citizens who – because they did not like the outcome of an election, who did not believe the law was followed as it should be – foment revolution,” District Judge Amit Mehta said before handing down the sentence. “That is what you did.”
“I dare say Mr. Rhodes – and I never have said this to anyone I have sentenced – you pose an ongoing threat and peril to our democracy and the fabric of this country,” Mehta said.
The judge added: “I dare say we all now hold our collective breaths when an election is approaching. Will we have another January 6 again? That remains to be seen.”
Mehta also noted that Rhodes has expressed zero remorse for his actions. Prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence of 25 years.
I’m pretty sure you file this under “f*cked around, found out.”
Imagine doing 18 years in prison for Donald Trump…
Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right group the Oath Keepers, has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for seditious conspiracy — the longest sentence for a January 6th defendant to date.
Rhodes was convicted in November for his role in the attack on the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/mVqkQYm1Fc
— The Recount (@therecount) May 25, 2023