A federal judge sentenced Roberto Minuta, a member of the Oath Keepers, to four years on the charge of seditious conspiracy in June 2023 for his part in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Edward Vallejo, another member of the Oath Keepers, was also sentenced to three years in prison that day for seditious conspiracy.
The length of the sentence was considerably less than what prosecutors recommended.
Both men said they were deceived by President Trump and Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, who had previously been sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy, a felony involving attempts “to overthrow, put down or to destroy by force the government of the United States.”
Minuta and Vallejo told the court that Trump and Rhodes convinced them that president elect-Joe Biden had stolen the election from Trump and that they were acting patriotically on January 6.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/01/oath-keeper-sentencing-minuta-rhodes-00099681
Minuta and other Oath Keepers had provided security for Roger Stone Jr., a close adviser to President Trump, and then – in words rarely uttered in a courtroom – “rushed to the Capitol in golf carts” to join the mob and confront police officers defending the Capitol, where members of Congress were meeting to verify the results of the election.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/01/oath-keeper-sentencing-minuta-rhodes-00099681
Prosecutors said that Vallejo, who was in charge of the organization’s cache of firearms, was not at the protest but was assigned to bring additional weapons if instructed.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/01/oath-keeper-sentencing-minuta-rhodes-00099681
Minuta’s anger toward the government was motivated by the threats he received when he opened his New York tattoo business in violation of Covid restrictions. He said he became involved in the protest after hearing claims by Trump and others that the election had been stolen.
Prosecutors sought a 17-year sentence for Minuta.
One prosecutor characterized Minuta as a “dangerous individual to others and his republic” with a “warped sense of patriotism that calls for violence against the government when he disagrees with it.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/01/oath-keeper-sentencing-minuta-rhodes-00099681
Minuta and Vallejo both apologized for their conduct on January 6.
Vallejo’s attorney said his client believed the election had been stolen, that he was fooled by Donald Trump and Rhodes, and thought his actions to disrupt the transfer of power were patriotic.
“I wish I had never associated myself with Stewart Rhodes,” Vallejo added.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/01/oath-keeper-sentencing-minuta-rhodes-00099681
