Stewart Rhodes, who is the founder of far-right militant Oath Keepers, has been sentenced to 18 years by a federal judge in connection to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.&nbsp;

Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy and the sentence is the longest imposed on a January 6 defendant to date. Before that, the longest sentence was 14 years, which was given to a Pennsylvania man who attacked police during the rampage.&nbsp;

Before handing down the sentence, Judge Amit Mehta said, "You, sir, present an ongoing threat and a peril to this country and to the republic and to the very fabric of this democracy."&nbsp;

Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, another Oath Keepers member who will be sentenced later Thursday afternoon, were convicted of seditious conspiracy in November.&nbsp;

In a message ahead of the US Capitol attack, Rhodes wrote: "They won't fear us until we come with rifles in hand."&nbsp;

In a video after the attack, he stated that his sole regret was that they "should have brought rifles". The video was played in court during his trial.&nbsp;

Rhodes is the Yale-educated former Army paratrooper, who created the far-right Oath Keepers group.&nbsp;

He appeared in federal court on Thursday to be sentenced for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the attack on the Capitol.&nbsp;

The prosecutors sought 25 years in jail. Federal prosecutor Kathryn Rakoczy said, "Mr. Rhodes led a conspiracy to use force and violence to intimidate and coerce members of our government into stopping the lawful transfer of power following a presidential election. As the court has just found - that is terrorism."&nbsp;

During the hearing, Rhodes insisted that he is a "political prisoner" who, just like former president Donald Trump, is trying to confront people "who are destroying our country".&nbsp;

Besides seditious conspiracy, a felony accusation including intending "to overthrow, put down, or destroy by force the government of the United States", Rhodes was convicted of hindering an official proceeding and tampering with records.&nbsp;

Judge Mehta also said, "Seditious conspiracy is among the most serious crimes an American can commit,"&nbsp;

"You present an ongoing threat and a peril to this country," Mehta told Rhodes, further adding that "you are smart, charismatic and compelling and that is frankly what makes you dangerous".&nbsp;

Notably, Rhodes was acquitted of two further charges.&nbsp;

In the same trial, three other Oath Keepers were convicted of obstructing an official proceeding, as the rioters shut down the Congress and sent lawmakers and vice president Mike Pence fleeing to safety.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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Stewart Rhodes, who is the founder of far-right militant Oath Keepers, has been sentenced to 18 years by a federal judge in connection to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

Stewart Rhodes, who is the founder of far-right militant Oath Keepers, has been sentenced to 18 years by a federal judge in connection to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy and the sentence is the longest imposed on a January 6 defendant to date. Before that, the longest sentence was 14 years, which was given to a Pennsylvania man who attacked police during the rampage. Before handing down the sentence, Judge Amit Mehta said, "You, sir, present an ongoing threat and a peril to this country and to the republic and to the very fabric of this democracy." Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, another Oath Keepers member who will be sentenced later Thursday afternoon, were convicted of seditious conspiracy in November. In a message ahead of the US Capitol attack, Rhodes wrote: "They won't fear us until we come with rifles in hand." In a video after the attack, he stated that his sole regret was that they "should have brought rifles". The video was played in court during his trial. Rhodes is the Yale-educated former Army paratrooper, who created the far-right Oath Keepers group. He appeared in federal court on Thursday to be sentenced for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the attack on the Capitol. The prosecutors sought 25 years in jail. Federal prosecutor Kathryn Rakoczy said, "Mr. Rhodes led a conspiracy to use force and violence to intimidate and coerce members of our government into stopping the lawful transfer of power following a presidential election. As the court has just found - that is terrorism." During the hearing, Rhodes insisted that he is a "political prisoner" who, just like former president Donald Trump, is trying to confront people "who are destroying our country". Besides seditious conspiracy, a felony accusation including intending "to overthrow, put down, or destroy by force the government of the United States", Rhodes was convicted of hindering an official proceeding and tampering with records. Judge Mehta also said, "Seditious conspiracy is among the most serious crimes an American can commit," "You present an ongoing threat and a peril to this country," Mehta told Rhodes, further adding that "you are smart, charismatic and compelling and that is frankly what makes you dangerous". Notably, Rhodes was acquitted of two further charges. In the same trial, three other Oath Keepers were convicted of obstructing an official proceeding, as the rioters shut down the Congress and sent lawmakers and vice president Mike Pence fleeing to safety. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

US Capitol attack: Oath Keepers founder sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has been found guilty of seditious conspiracy and other offenses in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Two members of Oath Keepers found guilty of seditious conspiracy

In the United States, a jury on Tuesday found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of the rare charge of seditious conspiracy for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

In the United States, a jury on Tuesday found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of the rare charge of seditious conspiracy for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. According to the prosecutors, Rhodes plotted an armed rebellion to stop the transfer of power from Trump to Biden. The charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. In January 2021, supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol and allegedly attempted to overturn the presidential election results, which were won by Joe Biden. Reports claimed that the mob wanted to keep Trump in power as they aimed at preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes. Kelly Meggs, another member of the Oath Keepers, was also found guilty of seditious conspiracy. On the other hand, three co-defendants were acquitted of the same charge. The jury deliberated for three days before reaching its decision. The panel in Washington, DC met once ahead of taking a weekend break for the Thanksgiving holiday. They also had a meeting for two more days this week. Rhodes testified before the jury that he had no intention of storming the Capitol. He has said that he did not discover some of his fellow Oath Keepers had entered the structure until the riot had subsided. During cross-examination, prosecutors sought to paint Rhodes as a liar. They showed him all the inflammatory text messages, videos, photos and audio recordings he sent. After the verdict, the lawyers for the defendants said they were disappointed. They noted that they believed their clients had received a fair trial. James Lee Bright, an attorney for Stewart Rhodes, told reporters outside the courthouse: "I do believe that they gave us a fair trial." But he added that he believed the verdict "could have been substantially different" if the trial had been moved outside of Washington, DC. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

US Capitol assault: Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes guilty of seditious conspiracy

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes found guilty of sedition in U.S. Capitol attack plot

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US Capitol attack: Oath Keepers founder sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy

Two members of Oath Keepers found guilty of seditious conspiracy

US Capitol assault: Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes guilty of seditious conspiracy

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes found guilty of sedition in U.S. Capitol attack plot