WASHINGTON — Oath Keeper founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes and nine other members of the far-right militia group pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of seditious conspiracy and other charges for their actions related to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Eight others pleaded not guilty to lesser charges.
Edward Vallejo, the 11th Oath Keeper charged with seditious conspiracy is expected to be arraigned on Wednesday or Thursday, said D.C. District Judge Amit Mehta during the court hearing.
The Department of Justice announced on Jan. 13 that a grand jury had returned an indictment charging 11 individuals connected to the Oath Keepers with seditious conspiracy and other crimes. Beyond Vallejo and Rhodes, the other nine individuals charged with seditious conspiracy had previously been charged with other crimes related to Jan. 6. The eight others who pleaded not guilty Tuesday were also previously charged with lesser crimes in two other cases.
Mehta set an April trial date for six of the Oath Keepers accused of the lesser charges in U.S. v. Crowl et al and a July trial date for the seditious conspiracy case against Rhodes and the other 10 individuals.
Lawyers for the Oath Keepers told the judge the April trial does not allow them enough time to prepare, but Mehta said, “At some point these cases have got to go to trial.”
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