Federal prosecutors have received a major boost when a member from the Oath Keepers, who assisted the group in pushing into the US Capitol Jan. 6, has agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with ongoing investigations into the activities of militant groups during the insurrection.Graydon Young's admission that he conspired to obstruct or impede certification of the Electoral College through intimidating and coercing officials could be helpful for the prosecution in proving that defendants used covert communications to plan their actions and coordinate them long before the insurrection. Graydon Young is the first to be charged with conspiracy to plead guilty.Young, 55, appeared in Washington District Court wearing a dark suit and a blue face mask. He has also agreed to give information and testimony to investigators as well as the grand jury. The case involves 15 others who were involved in the Oath Keepers. This is the most serious and ambitious federal prosecution that has emerged from the Capitol riots. Judge Amit Mehta suggested that three separate trials might be necessary for this large group.Young was also released from four additional charges. Prosecutors promised to push for a sentence cut below the recommended guideline of 63 to 72 months. Young also agreed that he would pay $2,000 in restitution in order to cover the approximately $1.5 million of damages to the Capitol Building that day.Young, a Florida resident, and his sister Laura Steele traveled to DC on January 5. They met with other Oath Keepers outside of the Capitol the next day. They were dressed in tactical gear and ballistic headgears and entered the building in a military-style stack formation at 2:28 p.m. Young was there for approximately half an hour. According to court records Steele, who is also a suspect in the case, pleaded not guilty and became a dues-paying Oath Keeper on Jan. 3, at Young's request.Continue the storyProsecutors in Oath Keepers have indicated that they seek plea agreements with several defendants. Mehta was recently told by them that they hope to reach agreements with many of the accused. In the ongoing investigation, more than 450 people were charged.The government must prove that at least two people had agreed to conspire in order to prevent the certification of the presidential elections. Young's plea agreement is, in essence, a significant step towards surpassing this bar. He already admits to the existence of a conspiracy by pleading guilty and can also testify that he has made plans with others.Separately, three Proud Boys members were charged by the Justice Department with conspiracy to take part in Jan. 6's events. So far, none have changed.Jon Schaffer, another Oath Keeper, agreed to cooperate in April. However, unlike Young, he wasn't part of the stack that entered battle formation. He was not charged with conspiracy.Court records show that Stewart Rhodes, the founder of Oath Keepers, is being investigated. While Rhodes was identified as Person One in the filings, he was still in regular contact with the stack members and met them outside the Capitol once they left.Court filings reveal that he called on others to travel to Washington in the days leading up to November's presidential election. Prosecutors claim that he paid for the hotel room in which the Oath Keepers leader stayed on Jan. 6.Rhodes repeatedly denied violating any laws in interviews and public appearances. Multiple reports claim that Rhodes was recently searched by the FBI and his phone was taken. Rhodes stated that he expects to be arrested.Zoe Tillman contributed reporting from Washington, DC.Continue reading
