(ConservativeFreePress.com) – The Department of Justice has appealed the sentences given to Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers founder, and other far-right extremists over their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
The court papers filed on Wednesday note that the sentences that the court handed down were far shorter than the ones that prosecutors had aimed for. Rhodes in particular was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and a number of other convictions. However, this sentence was far shorter than the federal guidelines and recommendations, as the Department of Justice had asked for 25 years in prison.
While it is normal for defendants to appeal the decisions made by the court, it is far more unusual for prosecutors to try and appeal the judge’s decision over the length of prison time handed down. Rhodes’ in particular is going to be serving the longest sentence so far when compared to the over 1,000 cases that have been sentenced relating to the Capitol riot.
James Lee Bright, Rhodes’ attorney, claimed that it was “surprising” seeing the prosecutors appeal the case. Rhodes, during his sentencing hearing, had dubbed himself a “political prisoner,” and had even claimed that the Biden administration and federal prosecutors had downplayed his Jan. 6 actions.
The Department of Justice is also going to appeal the sentence given to Kelly Meggs, the Florida chapter leader of Oath Keepers, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
A number of other Oath Keepers associates were also sentenced, with the only exception being James Beeks, a Florida resident who had been a part of the “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
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