US Judge Orders Oath Keepers Defendant Detained Pending Trial For Alleged January 6 Crimes

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2022) Edward Vallejo, a member of the right-wing group Oath Keepers, has been ordered detained pending trial for alleged crimes linked to the January 6 breach of the US Capitol by Magistrate Judge John Boyle.

"This was a very strong threat to our nation," Boyle said on Thursday. "There is compelling evidence about (Vallejo's) potential for danger."

Vallejo, 63, is being charged alongside 11 other Oath Keepers members with seditious conspiracy and other crimes for their alleged role in the January 6 breach of the US Capitol complex.

The indictment against them alleges that the Oath Keepers are a loosely organized collection of individuals, some of whom with militia associations, that focuses on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement and first-responder personnel.

Vallejo and the other charged members, including group leader Stewart Rhodes, are alleged to have conspired through a variety of manners and means - including organizing into teams that were prepared and willing to use force - to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election results on January 6.

The seditious conspiracy charges carry a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison should the defendants be found guilty of the alleged crimes.