On Friday, two other members of the far-right Oath Keepers organization were sentenced to prison for participating in the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters who had tried to overthrow the results of a presidential election in which he lost.
In November, a federal jury found Kenneth Harrelson and Jessica Watkins guilty of obstructing official government work for their role in the Capitol storming, in which rioters clashed with police, broke the windows and doors of the Congress building and forced lawmakers to rush. go into hiding.
District Judge Amit Mehta on Friday sentenced Harrelson to four years in prison and Watkins to eight and a half years. Harrelson was also convicted of conspiring to prevent members of Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election victory. obstruction of the police during the riots.
However, both defendants were acquitted of the charges of conspiracy to incite sedition.
Members of the Oath Keepers in the courtroom, including Kenneth Harrelson (far right, front row) and Jessica Watkins (third from right), October 2022 (court file photo).
Mehta said he believed Harrelson had shown ‘genuine remorse’ and did not believe the former ‘lawyer’ was as responsible as other members of the far-right militia who also face charges.
Among the evidence presented at trial was a video in which Harrelson was heard chanting “treason” as he entered the Capitol.
“He wanted to intimidate members of Congress and people working in construction,” attorney Jeffrey Nestler said.
Harrelson told the court on Friday that he had never thought about politics before the events of Jan. 6 and that he would have tried to stop others from committing acts of violence against police officers that day if he knew how things were going to turn out.
“I am responsible and my stupid actions have caused my wife and our children great pain,” Harrelson said, sobbing.
The prosecution has asked for Harrelson to be sentenced to 15 years in prison, his lawyer has advocated a lighter sentence.
Prosecutors asked Mehta to sentence Watkins to 18 years in prison, the defense insisted on five years in prison.
The judge said it was “particularly difficult” for him to sentence Watkins. He referred to her testimony, in which she spoke about the difficulties she encountered in relation to her transgender identity. He also noted his cooperation with law enforcement during the investigation.
However, that “doesn’t change anything” about what she did when taking over the Capitol, the judge said.
Speaking in court, a tearful Watkins called on Mehta for a fair sentence.
“My actions and behavior on that fateful day were wrong and, as I now understand, criminal,” she said.
A day earlier, Mehta sentenced Oathkeeper founder Stuart Rhodes to 18 years in prison for sedition and using force to overthrow the federal government. This is currently the most severe sentence imposed on participants in the riots of January 6, 2021.
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