Seditious Conspiracy Charge Filed Against Sarasota Oath Keeper In U.S. Capitol Breach: DOJ

SARASOTA, FL — A federal grand jury indictment unsealed Thursday added seditious conspiracy to the long list of charges against 11 Oath Keepers - including Joseph Hackett, 51, of Sarasota – related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a Department of Justice news release.

They were part of a pro-Trump mob that breached the building in protest of Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election. Their goal was to disrupt a joint session of U.S. Congress that was counting and affirming electoral votes.

The charge of seditious conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The indictment also names for the first time the founder of the Oath Keepers, Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, 56, of Granbury, Texas, and Edward Vallejo, 63, of Phoenix, Arizona, in connection with events leading up to and including Jan. 6.

This is the first time Rhodes, the group’s leader, has been charged for his involvement in the riot, the DOJ said. Both he and Vallejo were arrested and charged Thursday.

Of the nine people previously named in this indictment charges, four are from Florida: Hackett; Kenneth Harrelson, 41, of Titusville; Kelly Meggs, 52, of Dunnellon; and David Moerschel, 44, of Punta Gorda.

Others charged in this indictment are: Thomas Caldwell, 67, of Berryville, Virginia; Joshua James, 34, of Arab, Alabama; Roberto Minuta, 37, of Prosper, Texas; Brian Ulrich, 44, of Guyton, Georgia; and Jessica Watkins, 39, of Woodstock, Ohio.

In addition to the earlier charges filed against them, they now face additional counts for seditious conspiracy and other offenses.

Hackett was previously charged with conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, destruction of government property and aiding and abetting, and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, according to the DOJ. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in June.

The Sarasota chiropractor was among a group of Oath Keepers wearing paramilitary gear that marched in a “stack” formation up the east steps of the Capitol and breached the building.

He was released from jail in August after his public defender, Angie Halim, told a federal judge that he was no longer “radicalized,” according to the Washington Post. She also said that his wife would prevent him from re-adopting extremist views.

Halim also told the judge that Hackett had never been interested in politics before 2020 and had never voted in a presidential election before. It was after joining the Oath Keepers that he became “susceptible to right-wing propaganda,” she said, blaming political leaders for spreading misinformation.

Related Story: Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Riot: 76 Floridians Charged In Breach So Far

The Oath Keepers is a large but loosely organized group of individuals, some of whom have ties to militias. Though the group will accept anyone as members, they explicitly focus on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement and first-responder personnel, the DOJ said. Members and affiliates of the Oath Keepers were among the individuals and groups who forcibly entered the Capitol building.

The seditious conspiracy indictment alleges that following the Nov. 3, 2020, presidential election, Rhodes and other Oath Keepers began planning to oppose the transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Biden by force on Jan. 20, 2021.

In December 2020, they started discussing traveling to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 for the certification of the electoral college vote, using encrypted and private communication apps, the DOJ said.

They traveled across the country to the area in early January, bringing weapons and tactical gear to Washington, D.C., and organizing paramilitary training.

“According to the seditious conspiracy indictment, the defendants conspired through a variety of manners and means, including: organizing into teams that were prepared and willing to use force and to transport firearms and ammunition into Washington, D.C.; recruiting members and affiliates to participate in the conspiracy; organizing trainings to teach and learn paramilitary combat tactics; bringing and contributing paramilitary gear, weapons and supplies – including knives, batons, camouflaged combat uniforms, tactical vests with plates, helmets, eye protection and radio equipment – to the Capitol grounds; breaching and attempting to take control of the Capitol grounds and building on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to prevent, hinder and delay the certification of the electoral college vote; using force against law enforcement officers while inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021; continuing to plot, after Jan. 6, 2021, to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power, and using websites, social media, text messaging and encrypted messaging applications to communicate with co-conspirators and others,” the DOJ said in its news release.