Two more Oath Keepers members sentenced to years in prison for seditious conspiracy
The charges were handed to the individuals over their involvement in the Capitol Hill riot on Jan. 6, 2021
Oath Keepers member David Moerschel was sentenced to three years while his co-defendant Joseph Hackett was sentenced to three years and six months
A federal district court has convicted two more oath keepers members of seditious conspiracy and sentenced them to several years in prison for their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot.
The sentencing came on Friday and is the latest in a series of new prison terms for individuals who have been convicted of seditious conspiracy over the Capitol siege. The latest two Oath Keepers members were identified to be David Moerschel and Joseph Hackett.
Oath Keepers Members Sentenced to Prison
Moerschel, who is a former neuroscientist, received a three-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy and other charges. On the other hand, his co-defendant, Hackett, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, as per ABC News.
Both of the defendants' sentences were a fraction of the recommendation that prosecutors gave after they argued that Moerschel and Hackett each should get 10 and 12 years in prison, respectively.
The two Oath Keepers were found guilty in January of conspiring to commit sedition against the United States. The jury in that particular case convicted both defendants of three additional felonies, finding that they had other plans to disrupt the electoral college certification of Joe Biden.
The two men were found to be partially successful in their attempts and Hackett, who is a former chiropractor from Florida, was found guilty of destroying evidence. In a statement on Friday, Hackett told the judge that he regretted being there on that day and ever joining the Oath Keepers.
In a statement, US District Judge Amit Mehta said that Moerschel's transport of weapons, which included a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, to the Washington area ahead of the Capitol Hill riot brought its own level of threat due to his political motivations, according to Reuters.
Charges of Seditious Conspiracy
However, the judge noted that the defendant was less culpable than several other Oath Keepers members who have been convicted in relation to the Capitol siege. Mehta described the second defendant, Hackett, as a "king, caring man." But he added that false claims of fraud in the 2020 US elections and the extremist rhetoric of the far-right group influenced him.
Since last week, the judge has sentenced six other members of the Oath Keepers to prison terms that range from three to 18 years. The two latest defendants were convicted of seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to prevent members of Congress from discharging their official duties.
The two convictions follow two others a few days earlier that involved Oath Keepers members Roberto Minuta and Edward Vallejo. Minuta, who is a tattoo artist from New York and Texas, was sentenced to four and a half years while Vallejo, a retired military veteran from Arizona, was handed a prison sentence of three years, said the New York Times.
