4 Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy for plotting Jan. 6 attack

Four members of the far-right Oath Keepers group were convicted Monday of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol that aimed to keep former President Donald Trump in power by force.

In a second major victory for prosecutors, a jury convicted the four extremists of plotting the violent storming of the Capitol.

The verdict came just weeks after a different jury convicted the group’s leader, Stewart Rhodes, of similar charges.

The Washington jury deliberated for about 12 hours over three days before delivering their guilty verdict on the rarely used charge, which carries up to 20 years in prison.

Joseph Hackett of Sarasota, Fla.; Roberto Minuta of Prosper, Texas; David Moerschel of Punta Gorda, Fla.; and Edward Vallejo of Phoenix were also convicted of two other conspiracy charges as well as obstructing an official proceeding, meaning Congress’ certification of President Biden’s win in the 2020 election.

The judge didn’t immediately set a date for sentencing. The judge denied prosecutors’ bid to lock up the men while they await sentencing, finding them not to be a risk of flight. They were ordered to remain in home detention with electronic monitoring.

It was one of the most serious cases brought so far in the sweeping Jan. 6 investigation, which continues to grow two years after the riot. The Justice Department has charged nearly 1,000 people in the riot and the tally increases by the week.

Coincidentally, a Jan. 6 rioter who gained infamy by propping his feet up on then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk during the melee was also convicted Monday of lesser charges.

Prosecutors told jurors that Oath Keepers began shortly after the 2020 election to prepare an armed rebellion to keep Trump in power. Messages show Rhodes and the Oath Keepers discussing the prospect of a “bloody” civil war and the need to keep Biden out of the White House.

“Our democracy was under attack, but for the defendants it was … a moment to celebrate,” prosecutor Louis Manzo told jurors in his closing argument.

With News Wire Services