The founder of the far-right Oath Keepers militia has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in mobilizing Donald Trump supporters in the January 6 Capitol riot.
Stewart Rhodes, 58, was sentenced on Thursday in a Federal District Court in Washington, DC, after his conviction on seditious charges stemming from the deadly 2021 attack.
It is the longest sentence handed down to a Capitol riot defendant to date.
‘I am a political prisoner,’ Rhodes said in the courtroom right before he was sentenced.
Rhodes added that his mention of a ‘regime change’ in a call with supporters this week referred to his hopes that ex-President Donald Trump will win the 2024 election.
But Judge Amit Mehta scolded Rhodes for efforts as the Oath Keepers’ leader to push democracy to ‘devolve into violence’.
‘You, sir, present an ongoing threat and a peril to this country, to the Republic and the very fabric of our democracy,’ said Mehta.
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First appear at Oath Keepers founder gets 18 years in prison for role in pro-Donald Trump Capitol riot
