The United States Department of Justice reported on Wednesday the accusation of three members of the far-right militia Oath Keepers for their participation in the assault on the Capitol, in Washington, on January 6, on the eve of the inauguration of the president, Joe Biden.
“Three individuals associated with Oath Keepers, a paramilitary organization focused on recruiting active or retired military, law enforcement and first responders, were charged in federal court in the District of Columbia with conspiring to obstruct Congress, among others charges, “says the statement.
The defendants are Jessica Marie Watkins, 38, Donovan Ray Crowl, 50, both from Ohio State, and Thomas Caldwell, 65, of Virginia. All three will be brought before the US federal court for crimes of “conspiracy, obstruction of official proceedings, destruction of government property and illegal entry into restricted buildings or land.”
“The maximum penalty for obstructing an official procedure is a sentence of up to 20 years in prison,” explains the Justice Department, which also details how the three “communicated with each other before the raid” on Capitol Hill and “coordinated their attack. “.
According to the text, Watkins, Crowl and Caldwell are not only affiliated with Oath Keepers, but they have flaunted it on social networks, from where they encouraged to attend the demonstrations in support of former President Donald Trump, which ended hours later in the riots and in the attack on the seat of the United States Legislative Power.
The complaint includes a series of communications between them, from “calls to action” to conversations regarding “logistics, accommodation options, coordination to discuss the plan, and joining forces with other Oath Keepers delegations.”
This week, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Michael Sherwin, reported the arrest of 135 people related to the assault on the Capitol, as well as the identification of more than 400 suspects, even going so far as to cite Thomas Caldwell, who He announced that he would be charged with “sedition.”
