Stewart Rhodes is an American who was born in Fresno, California in 1966 and will be 57 in 2023. He was born with the name Elmer Stewart Rhodes III. His father worked for the United States Marine Corps, and his mother worked on a farm. Rhodes, who was raised by his mother and her Mexican-American family after his father abandoned the family when he was three years old, has spoken publicly about his experience.
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Who Is Stewart Rhodes?
American lawyer Stewart Rhodes has been disbarred. He is an opponent of the government and an advocate for the right to carry weapons. His group, the Oath Keepers, was established in March of 2009. In January 2022, Rhodes and nine other Oath Keepers were arrested and charged with subversive plots for their roles in the failed 2021 U.S. coup d’eta.
Stewart Rhodes Founder Of Oath Keepers Received An 18-Year Sentence
On Thursday, as reported by ABC News, a federal judge sentenced Stewart Rhodes, the founder of Oath Keepers, to 18 years in pris0n and accepted the government’s recommendation of an enhancement for terrorism for his role leading a seditious conspiracy to disrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory, which culminated in a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The sentence handed down to Rhodes is the longest of any person convicted in the Capitol assault. Rhodes’ sentencing on January 6th was the first time that D.C. District Judge Amit Mehta had agreed with the government’s motion to impose an enhancement for terr0rism.
Mehta agreed with prosecutors that Rhodes’s actions met the legal definition of terr0rism because they were designed to influence the actions of government and that Rhodes “inspired the use of violence” among his followers.
Mehta said that the Oath Keepers had a stockpile of weapons just outside of Washington, D.C. on January 6, and that Rhodes had told members to delete texts that could be used against them after the att@ck on the Capitol.
Mehta told Rhodes, “You, sir, present an ongoing threat and peril to this country,” before handing down his punishment. Prior to receiving his sentence, Rhodes spoke defiantly to Mehta, insisting on his innocence and labeling himself a “political pris0ner.”
Prior to passing judgment, Mehta made his own remarks in which he clearly refuted Rhodes’ assertions that he is a political pris0ner and instead called him a “ongoing threat to this country.”
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After Rhodes’ sentence was given, his lawyers said they did not agree with it and that they had expected a much harsher punishment. Many have commented on how powerfully this punishment should convey the seriousness of a sedition conviction.
The maximum penalty for a criminal charged in connection with January 6 was 170 months, or little more than 14 years, until Thursday.
A prosecutor for the government argued in court on Thursday that the Justice Department’s requested 25-year sentence for Rhodes was necessary to ensure the respect for the rule of law that is essential to the survival of our democracy.
US Attorney’s Office Assistant Kathryn Rakoczy claimed that Rhodes “doggedly drilled in the minds of those on his chats, and those followers of the Oath Keepers the lie of the election fraud, and the false need to act like the Founding Fathers in order to save in his view, our Constitution and country.” You can see the official tweet by Dinesh D’Souza below.
https://twitter.com/DineshDSouza/status/1664572572925657089
She pointed to statements he made from jail just four days ago to a protest gathered outside, where he said it would “take regime change” to fix the wrongs being done by the Biden Administration, saying that this was “neither the first time nor the last time that he will seek to organize political violence in our country.”
Rhodes was found guilty of conspiring to overthrow the United States government in November of last year. The jury concluded that he and the others in the organization were mostly responsible for delaying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory certification.
It was the first time a jury has convicted of a seditious conspiracy since 1995. Rhodes was the highest-recommended defendant charged in connection with January 6 by Justice Department prosecutors, who asked for a sentence of 25 years.
They recommended to Mehta a strong punishment for all of the Oath Keepers involved in the conspiracy, saying this was vital to discourage similar att@cks on democracy in the future.
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