A member of the far-right Oath Keepers group will remain behind bars as he awaits trial on a seditious conspiracy charge and other allegations tied to what prosecutors have described as a wide-ranging plot to storm the Capitol and forcibly disrupt the handoff of presidential power from Donald Trump to
At a court hearing in Phoenix on Thursday, a judge granted the federal prosecutors' request to keep Edward Vallejo in custody as he faces some of the most serious charges stemming from the Justice Department's expansive investigation into the January 6 attack.
The indictment alleges a conspiracy to threaten the very fabric of democracy.
The leader of the Oath Keepers and Vallejo were arrested last week and charged with seditious conspiracy. The prosecutors emphasized Vallejo's alleged role in overseeing the weapons cache in the hotel room. The weapons were available for use at the direction of Rhodes.
If Rhodes had given the order, you would have responded and followed it up, according to Boyle.
Vallejo and Rhodes have been in custody since last week. Rhodes, a Yale-educated military veteran, is set to appear in federal court on Monday for a hearing on whether he will remain in jail before his trial.
The Justice Department's investigation into the attack on the Capitol has made significant progress. The first of more than 700 accused rioters charged with participating in the assault on the seat of American democracy have been charged with sedition.
One of the federal prosecutors told the judge that Mr. Vallejo presents a danger to the United States.
The prosecutor said Vallejo "stood ready for deployment" during the siege and described the weapons cache as an "arsenal". The prosecutor said Vallejo was calling for a massive revolution and was prepared to engage in guerilla warfare.
Vallejo does not have a passport, has never left the country, and is neither a flight risk nor a danger, according to a public defender appointed to represent Vallejo. Vallejo was willing to accept an ankle monitor and restrictions on his possession of firearms, among other conditions for release, according to Jang.
There are 11 named defendants in the indictment. Mr. Edward Vallejo is at the bottom of that list.
Vallejo can appeal to Judge Mehta in Washington, DC.
People trying to storm the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021, clashed with police and security forces.
Brent Stirton is a photographer.
Vallejo was called a "key member of this conspiracy" by the prosecutor.
The seditious conspiracy charges came a week after Attorney General Garland delivered remarks urging patience as the Justice Department conducts its Capitol riot inquiry, which Garland described as one of the largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in our history.
He said on the eve of the first anniversary of the siege that there was no higher priority for the Department of Justice.
Legal scholars said that Thursday's indictment confirmed Garland's remarks.
The former federal prosecutor said those who said the DOJ hadn't delivered on the most serious charges had to be quieted. "Seditious conspiracy is very serious."
The maximum sentence for a seditious conspiracy charge is 20 years in prison. In 2010, the Justice Department brought a sedition charge against members of a Michigan militia, accusing them of scheming to provoke an armed conflict with the government. The challenges of proving a case were underscored by the fact that the militia members were acquitted.
In their indictment, prosecutors said that the militia group used messaging apps to communicate ahead of Biden's victory.
"We aren't getting through this without a civil war," Rhodes wrote on the chat app Signal, according to the indictment. Too late for that. Prepare your body and mind.
Prosecutors alleged that, within days of the 2020 election, Rhodes presided over a plot to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force. On January 6, some Oath Keepers members went to the Capitol in a military-style "stack" formation to look for Nancy Pelosi.
The Oath Keepers were charged in connection with the January 6 attack. According to prosecutors, the Oath Keepers is a group that focuses on recruitment of current and former military, law enforcement, and first-responder personnel.
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