Justice Delivered: Oath Keepers Face the Consequences of Their Actions
Oath Keepers Affiliates Found Guilty in Capitol Riot
Six people affiliated with the far-right militia group, the Oath Keepers, have been convicted on Monday for various charges related to their involvement in the US Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021. The six defendants are Sandra Parker, Laura Steele, Connie Meggs, William Isaacs, Michael Greene and Bennie Parker.
Conviction
Out of the six, Sandra, Laura, Connie and William have been found guilty on all the charges against them. They are accused of entering the Capitol and attempting to get to the Senate chamber. However, they were deterred by police officers and pepper spray.
Meanwhile, Michael and Bennie were convicted of a lesser charge of entering and remaining on restricted grounds. However, they were acquitted of the most serious charges of conspiring to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory. The jury is still deadlocked on two counts against them and is continuing to deliberate.
Prosecutors argued that even though Michael and Bennie did not go into the Capitol, they were part of the conspiracy. Several other Oath Keepers members and affiliates have been convicted of seditious conspiracy, including the group’s leader, Stewart Rhodes.
However, none of the defendants in this case were charged with seditious conspiracy. Instead, the Parkers, Greene, Steele, Meggs and Isaacs have been charged with conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding. This carries the same maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Trial Disruption
The trial was disrupted earlier on Monday due to the revelation that the jury had access to two video clips that the judge had prohibited them from viewing during the trial. The clips were part of a montage put together by federal prosecutors to show the overall violence that occurred on January 6, 2021.
Defense lawyers requested for a mistrial but this was rejected by US District Judge Amit Mehta. He said none of the defense lawyers asked for the clips when he had instructed them to do so. He allowed the jury to disregard the clips if they had seen them and to reconsider the verdicts they had already reached.
Understand the Events on Jan. 6
Timeline: On Jan. 6, 2021, 64 days after Election Day 2020, a mob of supporters of President Donald J. Trump raided the Capitol. Here is a closer look at how the attack unfolded.
Lost Lives: A bipartisan Senate report found that at least 140 police officers were injured and 5 gave their lives in the deadly attack. Read the stories of the Capitol Police on January 6th.
Bipartisan Investigation: Over the last year, a Bipartisan Investigation, led by members from the Republican and Democratic Parties, held 9 House Committee hearings. Read and watch video and written summaries of all nine hearings.
Proud Boys on Trial
In the same DC courthouse, prosecutors have presented evidence to the jury in the trial against five members of the Proud Boys charged with seditious conspiracy for their involvement in the Capitol riot. The four leaders of the far-right group, Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl, are accused of mobilizing other members to be violent at the Capitol while Dominic Pezzola acted violently.
The trial began in January and the nine-week presentation of evidence was marred with courtroom drama and disruptions. Defense witnesses are currently being called.
