Nine members of the far-right paramilitary group the Oath Keepers are facing charges regarding a conspiracy among the group members to plan and execute the January 6th domestic terrorist attack on Capitol, the Washington Post reports.
Federal prosecutors charge the nine “did knowingly combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with each other and others known and unknown” in the attack which resulted in seven deaths and more than 130 police officers injured. There were six people charged Friday, with charges added to three others, all military veterans, previous indicted.
Conspiracy charges were filed against Jessica Marie Watkins, 38, and Donovan Ray Crowl, 50, both of Woodstock, Ohio; and Thomas E. Caldwell, 66, of Berryville, Va. The six new defendants include siblings Graydon Young, 54, of Englewood, Fla., and Laura Steele, of Thomasville, N.C. It also includes married couples Kelly and Connie Meggs, 52 and 59, of Dunnellon, Fla.; and Bennie and Sandra Parker, 70 and 60, of the Cincinnati area.
The evidence filed with the indictments include social media posts from Connie Meggs dating back to December 22nd in which she encourages others to join the January 6th protests in Washington, DC, citing the words of ex-president Donald Trump.
Trump “wants us to make it WILD. . . . He called us all to the Capitol. . . . Gentlemen we are heading to DC,” Connie Meggs posted.
After the attack on the Capitol, Caldwell, a former Navy intelligence analyst and FBI employee, texted the others, “Next time (and there WILL be a next time) we will have learned and we will be stronger,” he messaged others afterward, according to court documents. “I think there will be real violence for all of us next time. . . . I am already working on the next D.C. op.”