WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Titusville man was named with 10 other people in a federal indictment charging them with seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach.
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A grand jury returned the indictment Wednesday, and it was unsealed Thursday. It accuses 56-year-old Oath Keepers founder Elmer Rhodes III and 63-year-old Edward Vallejo of using encrypted and private communications applications to conspire with the defendants and others to disrupt the peaceful transition of power after the Nov. 3, 2020 presidential election.
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In addition to Rhodes and Vallejo, 41-year-old Kenneth Harrelson of Titusville was one of nine others named in the sedition indictment who had already been charged for their involvement in the attack on the capitol.
Leader of Oath Keepers and 10 Other Individuals Indicted in Federal Court for Seditious Conspiracy and Other Offenses Related to U.S. Capitol Breach
— National Security Division, U.S. Dept of Justice (@DOJNatSec) January 13, 2022
Eight Others Facing Charges in Two Related Caseshttps://t.co/3Im6Z9dNtV
The indictment describes the Oath Keepers as a large but loosely-organized group focused on recruiting former military and law enforcement personnel.
According to court documents, the suspects organized into teams that were “prepared and willing to use force and to transport firearms and ammunition into Washington, D.C.,” in an attempt to hinder or delay the certification of the electoral college vote.
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While some of the Oath Keepers breached the capitol, the indictment says others remained stationed just outside Washington D.C. in so-called “quick reaction force” teams, which were prepared to quickly bring firearms and other weapons into the city in support of the efforts to stop the certification of the election.
The indictment says the defendants also continued plotting with each other after Jan. 6 on additional plans to oppose, by force, the peaceful transfer of presidential power.
The charge of seditious conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
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According to the Department of Justice, more than 725 people have been arrested for crimes related to the Capitol attack in the year since Jan. 6.
See the full 48-page indictment below:
USA vs Rhodes by Charles Frazier on Scribd
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