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Alabama man first convicted of seditious conspiracy in riot

Capitol riots
Posted at 6:56 PM, Mar 02, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-02 18:57:41-05

An Alabama man affiliated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia group has pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy for his actions leading up to and through the Jan. 6 riot.

The conviction Wednesday of Joshua James marks the first person involved in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol to be convicted of the rarely used charge.

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and nine others have pleaded not guilty to seditious conspiracy and other charges.

The sentencing guideline range for the Arab, Alabama native was estimated to be 7¼ to 9 years in prison.

As part of the guilty pleas, he agreed to cooperate with authorities investigating the riot.

According to the Associated Press, the 34-year-old told prosecutors that while inside the Capitol, he got into a physical altercation with a police officer. He also acknowledged that he participated in a plan to use force to hinder or delay the transfer of presidential power.

The AP reported that James has agreed to cooperate with authorities investigating the Jan. 6 attack, including testifying before a grand jury.

Over 750 people have been charged, with more than 220 riot defendants pleading guilty.

The attack resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer.