Six More Alleged Members of Oath Keepers Militia Indicted
Indictment charges individuals from Florida, Ohio and North Carolina for planning Jan. 6 attack on Capitol
By Aruna Viswanatha, James V. Grimaldi and Alan Cullison
Updated Feb. 19, 2021 6:11 pm ET
wsj.com
Six more people allegedly affiliated with the right-wing militia Oath Keepers were indicted on charges of planning the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, as prosecutors sketch out a portrait of a group preparing to disrupt the certification of President Biden’s election and developing a military-style plan to do so.
An indictment returned Friday afternoon charged a retired husband and wife from Warren County, Ohio, outside of Cincinnati, a couple from Florida, and siblings from Florida and North Carolina with conspiracy and other counts. Prosecutors said they worked with three others who were among the first to be accused of conspiring to engage in the attack.
The nine people were accused of attending or scheduling paramilitary trainings in advance of Jan. 6, coordinating their travel to Washington, preparing for the operation with military gear and moving through the Capitol in military formation.
Federal investigators have described the Oath Keepers as “a large but loosely organized collection of militia who believe that the federal government has been co-opted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights” and that focuses on recruiting current and former military personnel, law-enforcement officers and first responders.
Around 250 people already face federal charges in connection with the riot, on allegations ranging from trespassing to assaulting police officers to conspiracy. Investigators in particular have homed in on members of several right-wing groups as they try to determine what level of planning may have gone into the attack.
The new defendants, including Sandra Parker, 60 years old, and Bennie Parker, 70, of Ohio, were part of a tactical formation called a “stack,” the indictment said. A previous complaint described it as a maneuver used by the infantry in which members keep “their hands on the backs or vests of the person in front of them to remain together while entering a room or weaving through a crowd.” The group continued to use that formation inside the Capitol, according to photos included in the complaint.
Also indicted Friday were Graydon Young, 54, of Englewood, Fla., and his sister, Laura Steele, 52, of Thomasville, N.C.; and Kelly Meggs, 52, and his wife, Connie Meggs, 59, of Dunnellon, Fla. They face charges of conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding, destroying government property and other counts.
The new case describes the alleged Oath Keepers as being motivated in large part by former President Donald Trump, and an apocalyptic fear of a Biden presidency. One defendant, who was among those earlier indicted, Jessica Watkins, wrote in the weeks before Jan. 6 that if Mr. Biden became president, “our way of life as we know it is over,” the indictment said.
Ms. Watkins, 38, who served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army from 2001-2003 under her previous name, Jeremy David Watkins, was deployed to Afghanistan, and received an “other than honorable discharge” after “the Army determined that my presenting as a female was unacceptable for a soldier,” she wrote in a name-change filing in New York state. Ms. Watkins said she left her six-year tour of duty early because of her gender dysphoria, adding “I was not otherwise disciplined or prosecuted because of the extenuating circumstances of my medical condition.” She changed her name in 2005, court records show.
Kelly Meggs, one of the new defendants, wrote in a Facebook message in late December to another individual, “Trump said It’s gonna be wild!!!!!!! It’s gonna be wild!!!!!!! He wants us to make it WILD that’s what he’s saying. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! SirYesSir!!! Gentlemen we are heading to DC pack your shit!!”
Mr. Trump was impeached in the House last month for inciting the violent riot. The Senate voted Saturday to acquit him, with Mr. Trump’s attorneys arguing that he was using typical political rhetoric and didn’t act to foment a mob.
Jessica Watkins, left, and Donovan Crowl, center, marching down the front steps of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
PHOTO: JIM BOURG/REUTERS
Before Jan. 6, the founder of the Oath Keepers, E. Stewart Rhodes, called on Mr. Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and then “use the military and the militia (including all of us veterans) to conduct an actual clean election, with paper ballots,” according to a post on the Oath Keepers website.
Mr. Rhodes, who founded the group in 2009, has preached an anti-federal government message, suggesting that a conspiracy is afoot that could lead the government to seize firearms and incarcerate large parts of the U.S. population. He hasn’t responded to calls and emails seeking comment.
Attorneys for the new defendants couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Two of the earlier defendants, Ms. Watkins, of Ohio, and Thomas Caldwell, of Virginia, have pleaded not guilty to the charges and remain in federal custody. No plea for the third, Donovan Crowl of Ohio, has yet been entered on the court docket.
Attorneys for two of those who were indicted earlier said their clients were engaging in lawful speech and there was no evidence they were involved in violence. In detention hearings, attorneys for Messrs. Caldwell and Crowl said the text and social-media messages sent between them are simply the lingua franca of veterans who still enjoy the role play of the military structures that they left long ago.
Mr. Caldwell, 65, served in the U.S. Navy from 1976 until 1985, retiring as a lieutenant commander; his public defender said he was injured in combat and honorably discharged. Mr. Crowl, 50, served in the Marine Corps.
At a detention hearing held on conference call earlier this month, Mr. Caldwell pleaded to be released because he was a disabled veteran. “Your honor, my life hangs in the balance,” Mr. Caldwell said. Magistrate Judge Amit P. Mehta replied, “I understand, but you need to understand your actions.”
Judge Mehta expressed concern about text messages attributed to Mr. Caldwell describing a boatful of “weps,” or weapons, that were to be stationed across the Potomac River from Washington as part of a QRF, or quick reaction force.
Mr. Caldwell said of the text messages, “These are taken out of context.” Mr. Caldwell’s attorney implored his client not to speak during the hearing, and he had no further comments.
Much of the case against the alleged rioters is based on communications among the group members.
In the days before the riot, for example, Ms. Watkins and Mr. Parker allegedly texted about plans to travel to Washington. Ms. Watkins relayed: “Pack Khaki/Tan pants. Weapons are ok now as well.” Mr. Parker allegedly responded that they “don’t have any khakis” but have their military combat uniform.
Three days after the riot, Ms. Watkins texted Mr. Parker: “I’ve been following FBI wanted list, seems they’re only interested in people who destroyed things. I wouldn’t worry about them coming after us,” the complaint said.
Write to Aruna Viswanatha at Aruna.Viswanatha@wsj.com and Alan Cullison at alan.cullison@wsj.com
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Appeared in the February 20, 2021, print edition as 'Charges for More With Alleged Tie To Militia.'
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