Stewart Rhodes, Founder of Far-Right Group Oath Keepers, Faces 25-Year Sentence for Role in Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right group known as the Oath Keepers, is set to be sentenced Thursday on numerous felony counts tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Rhodes is the first defendant to be sentenced for the severe charge of seditious conspiracy.

Rhodes was found at trial to have organized paramilitary groups to help storm the Capitol in an effort to block the formalization of Joe Biden’s win. Prosecutors have asked a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to impose a sentence of 25 years in prison, citing Rhodes’ calls for a “civil war” multiple times in the run-up to the attack.

Rhodes, however, is asking for a sentence of time served. He is expected to speak on his own behalf at sentencing in a plea for leniency before Judge Amit Mehta.

The Oath Keepers is a far-right militia group that believes the government is plotting to take away citizens’ rights. Rhodes has been accused of pushing the idea among Oath Keepers members and others that with a large enough mob, they could intimidate Congress and its Members and impose the conspirators’ will rather than the American people’s.

The sentencing of Rhodes is a significant moment in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta for the District of Columbia will issue the sentence.