Jury convicts four Oath Keepers of seditious conspiracy over Jan. 6 roles

Their convictions were initially part of a larger case that included group founder Stewart Rhodes, but their case was split off from that of their leader.

Published: January 23, 2023 3:12pm

Updated: January 23, 2023 3:38pm

Four members of the right-wing group, the Oath Keepers, were convicted of seditious conspiracy on Monday following a five-week trial.

Prosecutors had painted group members Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel, and Edward Vallejo as participating in the events of Jan. 6 as part of a wider effort to stop the transfer of presidential power, according to NBC.

Defendants had argued they did not coordinate with one another or participate in a conspiracy to overthrow the government, asserting that they had been overcharged and that prosecutors were presenting them as characters in a political narrative.

The maximum sentence for seditious conspiracy is 20 years in prison and they have not yet been sentenced.

Their convictions were initially part of a larger case that included group founder Stewart Rhodes, but their case was split off from that of their leader. Rhodes was separately convicted of seditious conspiracy in late November of 2022. Group member Kelly Meggs was also found guilty on that count while Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell were acquitted of that charge.

Rhodes and his co-defendants were all convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting.

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