The DOJ is looking to run up the score
Imagine securing the harshest sentence imposed yet in the January 6 insurrection and not being satisfied. That is exactly where prosecutors find themselves in the case of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Rhodes to 18 years in prison, but the DOJ wanted 25. They wanted it badly enough that, according to Politico, they are appealing the sentence, but that’s not the only sentence they’re appealing.
Mehta referred to Rhodes’s leadership as “a dangerous criminal conspiracy violently derailing the transfer of peaceful power.” This is what happens when you abandon a perfectly normal career track to become a crazy. As Politico reported, Rhodes is a Yale Law School graduate who went on to become an attorney. He was disbarred in Montana in 2015. In his undergraduate work, Rhodes graduated summa cum laude. He did well at Yale and went on to clerk for an Arizona Supreme Court justice. Look at him now. What a waste. He got himself disbarred when he became an Oath Keeper and joined a protest in Arizona, where he was later fined for representing two of his cohorts while unlicensed in the state. Despite that fine and reprimand, Rhodes continued representing his cohorts, leading to an ethics complaint filed by a federal judge in Arizona for appearing without a license. Summoned to Montana to answer for his behavior, Rhodes failed to appear twice and was disbarred.
Pardon the cliché, but Rhodes chose his bed, and he must now lie in it. As stated earlier, the DOJ wanted 25 years for Rhodes, which is why the agency is appealing the sentence. Whether Rhodes keeps the 18-year sentence, or the DOJ is successful in getting 25, he will spend most of the rest of his life in prison. Rhodes is estimated to be 56 to 57 years of age, and there is no parole on the federal level. Do the math. The DOJ, in fact, wants everyone who was part of Rhodes’s conspiracy to serve longer terms than those to which they were sentenced. Politico broke down the numbers.
Seven other Oath Keepers were sentenced by Mehta: Kelly Meggs of Florida, Roberto Minuta of New York, Joseph Hackett of Florida, Ed Vallejo of Arizona, David Moerschel of Florida, Jessica Watkins of Ohio, and Kenneth Harrelson of Florida. The latter two defendants were acquitted of seditious conspiracy and were instead convicted of conspiring to obstruct Congress, which naturally brought lighter sentences. Judge Mehta did find that they were all guilty of federal crimes; however, his sentences reflect the fact that he saw Rhodes as the ringleader. Indeed, according to Politico, several of the defendants testified against Rhodes, claiming to be “manipulated and ginned up.” These people were all adults at the time of the insurrection and had the choice to either follow Rhodes or use their own brains. They chose to follow him. In that respect, they should not be given any concessions; they are just as guilty, and they all are rightfully going to federal prison. Hopefully, their idol Donald Trump-the true ringleader-will be joining them.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years