Federal prosecutors have announced charges for nine members of the Oath Keepers militia, including six who were recently arrested and charged Friday with conspiracy in the Capitol Riot. Seven of the group were part of a tactical “stack” of people dressed in combat gear pushing crowds into the Capitol, the government said.
The nine were charged by a grand jury on charges that included conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, and charges restricted by buildings or grounds.
Prosecutors say the group used military-style tactics (keeping their hands behind their backs to communicate when entering the building) and coordinated with other security guards before and during the attack, through applications such as MeWe and Zello.
The six accused Friday are Ohio residents Sandra Parker, 60, and Bennie Parker, 70, and Florida residents, Kelly Meggs, 52, Connie Meggs, 59, and Graydon Young, 54, and North Carolina resident Laura Steele, 52. Thomas Caldwell, 65, Jessica Watkins, 38, and Donovan Crowl, 50, were also charged in Friday’s new indictment, though all three had already been charged by a grand jury in January.
The Oath Guardians are a poorly organized collection of militias, prosecutors say, that focus on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement and first aid. The group believes the federal government has been “co-opted by a conspiratorial shadow trying to strip its rights of American citizens,” prosecutors say, and the group’s name comes from the oath of members of the military and forces. of the order to defend Constitution “of all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
The complaint details an email sent on January 4 from oathkeepers.org, with a subject “Call to Action: Oath Keepers Deploying to DC to Protect Events, Speakers, and Attendees January 5-6: It’s Time to stop “. The email indicated that the group would have “well-armed and well-equipped QRF teams on hold,” referring to the military acronym for “rapid reaction force,” in the event of a scenario “in which the president calls us as a party. of the militia by [sic] help it inside DC “.
The email also said, “As always, as we conduct security operations, we’ll have some of our men in ‘gray man’ mode without the Oath Keepers’ equipment being activated. For every Jury you see, n ‘there are at least two I don’t see’.
Prosecutors said Steele sent a five-page document that appeared to be an online application to the Florida Oath Keepers on Jan. 3. In the document, he wrote, “I have 13 years of law enforcement experience in North Carolina. I served as a K-9 officer and a member of the SWAT team. I currently work in private armed security for a [company name redacted]. I am a PPS licensed through North Carolina Private Protection Services. “
Seven members of the group, including Watkins and Crowl, stayed at the same hotel the night before the attack. In the days leading up to Jan. 6, Watkins, the self-described commanding officer of the Ohio State Regular Militia, sent messages to people he tagged on his phone as recruits, including Bennie Parker. He advised Parker to make the pants khaki and told him where he would meet on January 6th.
The group drew attention for its “stacked” tactical training, which experts quickly identified as a military-style strategy, and which have been a top priority for the U.S. prosecutor’s sedition working group.