Two members of the right-wing seditionist group the Oath Keepers were sentenced to prison yesterday for their participation in the attack on the Capitol on January 6 in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. From the Associated Press:
"David Moerschel, 45, a neurophysiologist from Punta Gorda, and Joseph Hackett, a 52-year-old chiropractor from Sarasota, were convicted in January alongside other members of the antigovernment extremist group for their roles in what prosecutors described as a violent plot to stop the transfer power from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden after the 2020 election.
Both men were among the lower-level members charged with seditious conspiracy. Moerschel was sentenced to three years in prison and Hackett got three and a half years." (our emphasis)
Prosecutors had recommended sentences of 10 years for Moerschel and 12 years for Hackett. Both received 3 years of supervised release after they serve their sentences. The two were hardly bystanders, swept up by the crowd, as the Associated Press article continues:
"Moerschel and Hackett helped amass guns and ammunition to stash in a Virginia hotel for a so-called 'quick reaction force' that could be quickly shuttled to Washington, prosecutors said. The weapons were never deployed. Moerschel provided an AR-15 and a Glock semi-automatic handgun and Hackett helped transport weapons, prosecutors said.
On Jan. 6, both men dressed in paramilitary gear and marched into the Capitol with fellow Oath Keepers in a military-style line formation, charging documents stated." (our emphasis)
Trials and sentencing of members of the Oath Keepers and the extremist right-wing Proud Boys street thugs continue, with charges ranging from obstruction of an official proceeding to seditious conspiracy. Please go to the Justice Department site to see if you can help in the identification of additional insurrectionists.
