A member of the US far-right Oath Keepers militia was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison on Friday for her role in the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, carried out by supporters of Donald Trump who sought to overturn the results of the vote. presidential election. This is reported by Reuters.

In November, a federal jury in Washington found Jessica Watkins guilty of obstruction of justice for her role in the storming of the Capitol, when rioting by Trump supporters led to scuffles with police, broken windows and lawmakers fleeing for their lives.

Watkins was also convicted of conspiracy and obstructing police during the riots.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said Friday that it was “particularly difficult” to sentence Watkins after she testified during her trial about the challenges she faced because of her gender identity (being transgender) and her cooperation with law enforcement during an investigation into her conduct in January. 6.

But he said it “doesn’t erase” what she did during the attack.

“Your role that day was more aggressive, more violent, more deliberate than maybe others,” Mehta said.

Kenneth Harrelson, another member of the Oath Keepers organization convicted of obstruction of justice, was also found guilty of conspiring to prevent members of Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory, as well as falsifying documents and procedures. He will be sentenced later on Friday.

Watkins and Harrelson were acquitted of conspiracy charges.

Prosecutors demanded 18 years in prison for Watkins

Federal prosecutors asked Mehta to sentence Watkins to 18 years in prison.

During his appearance in court, Watkins tearfully asked the judge to give him a fair sentence.

“My actions and my behavior on that fateful day were wrong and, as I now understand, criminal,” she said.

Federal prosecutor Alexandra Hughes told Mehta on Friday that the actions of Watkins and other oath-keepers that day “were not an aberration” and that a serious sentence should be handed down.

Watkins’ lawyer asked to sentence her to five years in prison.

The Oath Keeper Militia, founded by Stuart Rhodes in 2009, includes active and retired U.S. military and law enforcement officers. They have appeared, often armed to the teeth, at protests and political events, including the racial justice demonstrations that followed the 2020 killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

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