Oath Keepers member pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy in U.S. Capitol attack

[April 30, 2022]  By Jan Wolfe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Oath Keepers member on Friday admitted to engaging in seditious conspiracy during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and agreed to cooperate with investigators, handing a win to prosecutors as they prepare for a likely trial against the far-right group's founder.

Brian Ulrich, 44, of Georgia pleaded guilty on Friday during a court hearing in federal court in the District of Columbia.

Ulrich was one of 11 Oath Keepers members charged with seditious conspiracy in an indictment unsealed in January.

The defendants in that case include Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right militia group. Some of those defendants are likely heading to trial later this year.

That multi-defendant case is the only case alleging participants in the Jan. 6 attack engaged in seditious conspiracy, which is defined as attempting "to overthrow, put down or to destroy by force the government of the United States."

Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes poses during an interview session in Eureka, Montana, U.S. June 20, 2016. Picture taken June 20, 2016. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo

Ulrich is the second Oath Keepers member to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction charges. Joshua James, 34, of Alabama pleaded guilty in March.

As part of the plea agreement, Ulrich has agreed to cooperate with the U.S. Justice Department's ongoing investigation.

Under U.S. sentencing guidelines, Ulrich faces a likely sentence of around six years in prison, with credit for time already served.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who will sentence Ulrich, is not bound by that guideline range. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set, and Ulrich will be in federal custody until that hearing.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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