Mar 2, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Oath Keeper 1st to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy in Capitol riot

Dorian Geiger

Demonstrators stands outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. — A scene from the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Oath Keeper Joshua James pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy charges and obstruction of an official proceeding Wednesday related to the U.S. Capitol riot, according to court documents.

Why it matters: The 34-year-old regional leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia in Alabama is the first of 10 other alleged members to be charged in the conspiracy plot to plead guilty in last year's attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Details: James, who was arrested in March 2021, faces up to 40 years in prison related to both charges.

Prosecutors allege he bought a semiautomatic pistol and traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4, according to charging documents. He allegedly stashed several firearms at a Virginia motel.
James, who is accused of assaulting a Metropolitan Police Department officer, allegedly breached the Capitol through the East Rotunda doors.

The big picture: More than 750 people from all 50 states have been arrested related to the Jan. 6 attack, per the Justice Department.

James' attorneys did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

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Oath Keeper 1st to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy in Capitol riot

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