Stewart Rhodes, the head of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, was reportedly found guilty of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in prison on Thursday for his part in organizing the pro-Trump assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., handed down the sentence, which was the first to be elevated because it met the criteria for terrorism.
It was the most severe punishment imposed thus far in any of the more than 1,000 criminal prosecutions related to the attack on the Capitol.
It was also the first sentencing for any of the 10 Oath Keepers and Proud Boys members who were found guilty of sedition in relation with the events of January 6.
In a furious presentation to the court, Mr. Rhodes—wearing an orange prison smock and his signature black eye patch—accused the media of spearheading the Capitol attack by demonizing the Oath Keepers.
He also likened himself to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a dissident from the Soviet era.
“I am a political prisoner,” Mr. Rhodes exclaimed.
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