Washington: US district judge Amit Mehta, Indian-American, had some harsh words for Stewart Rhodes before he sentenced the leader of a far-right anti-government militia for his attempts to rig the 2020 presidential election - which culminated in the deadly attack on the US Capitol.
Mehta, in his early 50s, handed down an 18-year prison sentence to Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, for his role in the violent attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Rhodes received the harshest sentence so far for the disturbances started by supporters of former president Donald Trump who were upset with the outcome of the 2020 election, which was won by Democratic front-runner Joe Biden.
Before announcing the sentence, Mehta, a nominee of former president Barack Obama, delivered a chilling address to Rhodes about the impact of his seditious conspiracy crimes on American democracy, media reported. “I dare say, Rhodes – and I never have said this to anyone I have sentenced – you pose an ongoing threat and peril to our democracy and the fabric of this country,” Mehta said. “I dare say we all now hold our collective breaths when an election is approaching. Will we have another January 6 again? That remains to be seen.”
Rhodes claimed he was a “political prisoner” - a label the judge sharply rejected. “You are not a political prisoner, Rhodes. That is not why you are here. It is not because of your beliefs. It is not because Joe Biden is the president right now.” The sentence is the first handed down in over a decade for seditious conspiracy and Mehta said he wanted to explain the offence to the public. “Seditious conspiracy, when you take those two concepts and put it together, is among the most serious crimes an American can commit. It is an offence against the government to use force. It is an offence against the people of our country,” the judge said.