WASHINGTON — The leader of the far-right Oath Keepers group on Tuesday was found guilty of conspiring against the federal government as part of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol -- a major conviction in prosecutors' ongoing cases against the rioters that day.
Stewart Rhodes, a Yale Law School graduate-turned-militiaman, was convicted of his most serious charge, seditious conspiracy, following a sprawling two-month trial in federal court in Washington and three days of jury deliberations.
Caldwell, whose only other guilty verdict was tampering with potential evidence, will remain on supervised release despite the government's request to have him jailed pending any appeal or sentencing. Caldwell was acquitted on seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiring to impede a U.S. official. During testimony, he said he was not a member of the Oath Keepers, despite his association with the group.
In the Oath Keepers trial, the defendants were not charged with seeking to overthrow the U.S. government -- rather, prosecutors argued their conduct fell within the portion of the statute related to conspiring to oppose the government's authority and forcibly block the execution of laws. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said in court last week that the defendants who testified were lying about several pieces of evidence such as Caldwell's description of a video showing protesters confronting Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham at an airport after Jan. 6.
In addition to seditious conspiracy, Rhodes was also found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding and of tampering with documents/aiding and abetting. He was found not guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging duties. Caldwell was found guilty of obstructing an official proceeding and of tampering with documents but not guilty of seditious conspiracy, conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiring to prevent an officer from discharging duties.Rhodes, who founded the anti-government Oath Keepers in 2009, sent increasingly frantic messages to members of the group following the 2020 election about their need to be prepared to prevent Biden from taking office.
"Yes, things were said," Rhodes' attorney James Bright said."It was heated rhetoric. Horribly heated rhetoric. Bombast. Inappropriate." Relying on testimony from the FBI, prosecutors said that Rhodes worked between the 2020 election and Jan. 6 to rally his troops -- many of them former law enforcement and military service members -- and purchased thousands of dollars worth of weapons as he traveled across the country toward Washington.
In his testimony from the witness stand, however, Rhodes sought to paint a far different picture of the Oath Keepers -- describing them as a community service organization that helped veterans transition into civilian life. He said the group's actions, like purposely storing their weapons outside the Washington city limits on Jan. 6, showed they never intended to violate the law.
Meggs is seen in videos as part of the military-style"stack" of Oath Keepers that entered through the east side of the Capitol on Jan. 6. Prosecutors alleged he and other members of the stack, including Watkins and Harrelson, were specifically seeking out Pelosi after they breached the Capitol but left the building after they couldn't find her.
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