3 Oath Keepers plead guilty in Capitol riot, Stewart Rhodes' attorney says it doesn't matter
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - An attorney representing Oath Keepers leader Elmer Stewart Rhodes said Wednesday he's not impressed by the fact that three members of the group pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Phillip Linder said, "You hear someone's pleading guilty, you kind of go 'what did I miss?' and once you see what they're pleading to and what they're saying, I didn't miss anything."
In court documents, the three members, Joshua James, Brian Ulrich, and William Wilson admitted they conspired with Rhodes and other members of the group "to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power."
Richard Roper, a former United States Attorney of the Northern District of Texas, said the guilty pleas will make it more difficult for Rhodes, who lives in Granbury, to be acquitted. "It is not a great sign for the remaining defendants."
In court documents in Williams' case, prosecutors said he, Rhodes, and other members gathered at a hotel near the Capitol around 5pm on January 6th.
Prosecutors said, "Rhodes then called an individual over speaker phone. Wilson heard, Rhodes repeatedly implore the individual to tell President Trump to call upon groups like the Oath Keepers to forcibly oppose the transfer of power. This individual denied Rhodes's request to speak directly with President Trump. After the call ended, Rhodes stated to the group, "I just want to fight."
Linder rejected that. "Patently false. Didn't happen. We'll have the phone records showing that didn't happen."
He said some people who plead guilty will say anything to reduce their sentences, but Roper said there is a way to keep that from happening. "The way the government usually will try to defeat that problem is to bring on other evidence that corroborate what this testifying accomplice is saying."
Those who pleaded guilty are expected to testify in court against Rhodes and other members.
Roper said, "It can be very powerful, because it gives the jury a member that can explain the details from a vantage point of being an insider."
In exchange, Roper said they hope to receive a reduced sentence. "Normally, when a defendant pleads guilty in a federal criminal case, there's a very strong incentive for those defendants to cooperate in hopes of getting a lesser sentence by cooperating with the government."
Rhodes is set to go to trial September 26th, but Linder said the trial may begin a week earlier.
