A North Carolina state member of the Oath Keepers has pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
As part of a plea deal, William Todd Wilson, a 44-year-old former leader of the Sampson County chapter of the far-right militia group, has agreed to cooperate with the government's ongoing investigation, according to the Justice Department.
Wilson conspired with Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force, according to a court filing.
He also joined others in amassing firearms on the outskirts of Washington D.C. — some distributed across hotels and quick reaction force QRF teams and planned to use them in support of their plot to halt the lawful transfer of power, the filing said.
Two other members of the Oath Keepers, Joshua James and Brian Ulrich, pleaded guilty earlier this year to seditious conspiracy charges and agreed to cooperate with the government.
Wilson, who is a military and law enforcement veteran, had not been charged until this week, which suggests he has already begun cooperating with authorities.
Rhodes was arrested on Jan. 2022 after he was taken into custody by the House committee after he was taken into custody. His lawyer argued at the hearing that there was no conspiracy to overthrow the government, even though there was a lot of bombastic language involved. Mehta ordered Rhodes held on trial, finding no conditions of release that could protect public safety, according to the evidence against Rhodes.
More than 800 people have been arrested in connection with the U.S. Capitol breach, and more than 250 have pleaded guilty. More than 2,500 people are believed to have entered the Capitol on January 6, while hundreds more committed crimes are outside the borders. The online sleuths identified hundreds of additional Jan. 6 participants who have not yet been charged, according to a report by NBC News.
A former New York City police officer who assaulted a D.C. police officer on the day of the riot was found guilty by a jury. A former QAnon supporter from Pennsylvania who helped assault law enforcement officers with a giant Trump sign pleaded guilty and a former Marine who kicked an officer was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison.