Why This Militia Leader Faces 20 Years for Capitol Riot - Even Though He Wasn't There

'How Did This Militia Leader Get Longest Prison Sentence for Capitol Riot?'

Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the far right militia group Oath Keepers has been found guilty of a violent plot to stop US President Joe Biden from taking office, and convicted of a rare charge - seditious conspiracy.

It’s in relation to the Capitol Riots in January 2021 - when a crowd of Donald Trump supporters stormed the capitol building.

He faces a maximum 20 years in prison.

The latest charge against Rhodes is among the most serious to stem from a US Justice Department investigation into the events.

In order to be convicted of seditious conspiracy, prosecutors need to prove that two or more people conspired to "overthrow, put down or to destroy by force" the US government, or that they planned to use force to oppose authority.

This was the first conviction of seditious conspiracy in the US since 1995, when 10 Islamist militants tried to plant bombs around New York City.