Founder Oath Keepers gets the highest punishment so far for storming the Capitol | Abroad

Rhodes, a lawyer and former army paratrooper, has been found guilty of, among other things, sedition. He led a conspiracy of more than twenty American citizens. They violently resisted the transfer of power after the presidential election in 2020 at the parliament building in Washington.

“Such a direct attack on our democracy and utter disregard for the rule of law justifies a hefty sentence,” the prosecutors said. They had demanded 25 years in prison.

Several members of the Oath Keepers have previously been convicted of plotting to prevent Joe Biden from being elected president. The same happened to members of the far-right organization Proud Boys.

Peter Schwartz was the rioter with the highest sentence until Thursday. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison earlier this month. During the riot, he threw a chair at police officers and attacked them with pepper spray. The 49-year-old man, who has a criminal past, was released on parole at the time. That played a role in determining the sentence.

In total, the US justice has charged more than 1,000 people for their role in the storming. More than 500 people have pleaded guilty. More than eighty rioters have already been convicted.

During the storming, 4 people were killed and 138 officers were injured. In the aftermath of the incident, four officers took their own lives.