Federal Judge Amit Mehta has rejected requests from Capitol rioters affiliated with the far-right group known as the Oath Keepers to get certain federal criminal charges against them thrown out. Specifically, Mehta has upheld charges including entering and remaining in a restricted area or building, destruction of government property, and evidence-tampering. Mehta’s initial findings did not address other charges like conspiracy, which are faced by the Oath Keepers and are also subjects of their challenges. The charges that these individuals are facing could come with substantial prison sentences if the defendants are convicted.
New: Defendants in the Jan. 6 Oath Keepers conspiracy case have lost part of their effort to get charges tossed out — no ruling yet on the conspiracy/obstruction counts, but the judge largely rebuffed other challenges https://t.co/sjdk2G2xLU pic.twitter.com/M4831bgZSK
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) September 14, 2021
Recently, a phone belonging to a lawyer connected to the Oath Keepers was seized by federal authorities as part of an ongoing investigation into the potential perpetration of crimes including seditious conspiracy. HuffPost summarized that the cover sheet for the search warrant targeting the lawyer’s device identified the underlying investigation as also focused on potential crimes including “conspiracy, civil disorder, false statements, destruction of government property, obstruction of Congress, and unlawful entry on restricted buildings or grounds.” That lawyer, Kellye SoRelle, said regarding her phone that there’s “so much stuff in there.”
Overall, hundreds and hundreds of Trump supporters have been criminally charged by federal authorities for their roles in the Capitol violence. Although dozens have taken plea deals, the majority of defendants have not struck such deals, meaning that trials remain on the horizon. In the same order in which Mehta rejected the effort to get certain charges against members of the Oath Keepers dismissed, the judge also rejected a request by Oath Keepers-tied defendant Thomas Caldwell to get his trial moved out of D.C. Caldwell had based that request on the notion, which the judge roundly rejected, that the residents of D.C. who could end up in his jury would be unfairly biased against him.
