January 6 Capitol Riot: Two years later, charges, convictions, and trials

On January 6, 2021, protesters attempted to stop the Electoral College vote count that would declare Joe Biden the winner of the US 2020 presidential elections. [Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo]

More than 950 people are facing federal charges, and some of them have already been found guilty of significant sedition-related charges for attempting to topple the government.

Due to false allegations that the 2020 election had been "rigged" against Republican incumbent Donald Trump, thousands of people invaded the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an effort to halt the certification of the results.

Over 2,000 people broke into the Capitol building, ransacked offices, urinated in public areas, and looked for members of Congress. Despite the fact that the attack finally failed, it raised concerns about the stability of US democracy and the rising power of anti-democratic forces inside the Republican Party.

President Joe Biden plans to host a White House ceremony in the East Room on Friday to remember the tragic events that took place that day and mark the riot's second anniversary.

The aftermath of the attack is still a problem for the US. In connection with the incident, more than 950 persons have been charged with federal offenses; some of them are accused of seditious conspiracy, a rare but serious criminal.

According to information released by the US Department of Justice on Wednesday, 484 of those individuals have admitted guilt to various offenses, and 192 have received prison sentences.

Key political players connected to the incident, including Trump, who presided at the time and incited the rioters, should face criminal charges, according to a report by an investigation committee in the US House of Representatives last month.

Al Jazeera examines what has transpired with some of the most well-known perpetrators and participants in the attack on January 6.

On December 31, former US President Donald Trump shows up for the New Year's Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago resort [Lynne Sladky/AP]

Criminal referrals to the Justice Department under Donald Trump

The former Republican president has refused to accept the results of the 2020 election, making up allegations of voter fraud in order to get support from some members of his party.

However, there have been consequences to those allegations. In 2019 for abuse of power and obstructing Congress, the previous president had already been impeached and found not guilty. Due to his "inciting" the unrest on January 6, he was impeached a second time. It had led to the exile of lawmakers and the vice president at the time, as well as the injuries of 140 or so police officers. Seven fatalities were linked to the incident, including three law enforcement officers, according to a Senate investigation released in June. Trump's second impeachment ended with an exoneration.

The probe conducted by the House on January 6 featured Trump prominently. The former president was summoned to testify by the committee overseeing the probe, but he declined.

However, the committee assembled an 845-page report describing the former president's activities on and around January 6 using hundreds of interviews, including those with some of his closest advisors.

Additionally, it issued the US Department of Justice non-binding criminal referrals, including four allegations against Trump for aiding or fomenting an uprising. In anticipation of a Republican majority taking control of the House, the committee has subsequently been abolished.

Trump has persisted in spreading the "stolen election" myth and has elevated candidates who support his false allegations by using his influence inside the party, with varying degrees of success. The 2022 midterm elections saw terrible results for many election doubters. Additionally, there are other ongoing legal investigations of Trump, including proceedings in Georgia and New York.

In November, the former president declared that he would run for president once more in 2024.

Stewart Rhodes, the founder of Oath Keepers, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy in November, and prosecutors hope that his conviction will serve as a model for subsequent January 6 cases [Susan Walsh/AP Photo]

Oath Keepers member Stewart Rhodes was found guilty of seditious conspiracy

The far-right organizations that participated in the attack on January 6 have drawn attention. One of them is the Oath Keepers, a militia that opposes the government and encourages its members to uphold the pledge made by US servicemen and women to "protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

Stewart Rhodes, a former US Army paratrooper and Yale-educated attorney who frequently sports an eyepatch to conceal an injury received from a shooting accident founded the organization.

The first Oath Keepers to be charged with a seditious conspiracy in connection with the attack on January 6 were Rhodes and a number of his fellow Oath Keepers. The serious but infrequently used accusation suggests that a person planned to overthrow the government, challenge its legitimacy, or obstruct its laws.

The Oath Keepers were allegedly "prepared and willing to use force" to thwart the peaceful transfer of power, according to the US Department of Justice. They argued that the attack on January 6 was planned.

However, Rhodes and his co-defendants refuted such assertions in court, stating that no plot existed to penetrate the Capitol building.

One of the most notable verdicts to result from investigations by the Department of Justice was the conviction of Rhodes for seditious conspiracy on November 29. While he awaited punishment, Rhodes might have spent up to 20 years in prison.

Three other defendants, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, and Thomas Caldwell, were cleared of the allegation, but another co-defendant, Kelly Meggs, was also found guilty of seditious conspiracy.

On the accusation of impeding an official investigation, all five of them were found guilty.

Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio was not present at the January 6 attack but encouraged his followers to ‘do what must be done’ [Allison Dinner/AP Photo]

Trial for the Proud Boys' Enrique Tarrio

One lawsuit against a far-right organization, the Proud Boys, was considered as a test case for the Oath Keepers trial.

The all-male group, known for its white supremacy, anti-immigration stance, and misogyny, self-identifies as "Western chauvinists."

Despite the absence of their leader, Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys were among those who attacked the US Capitol on January 6. After being detained for damaging a Black Lives Matter flag, he had been prohibited from entering Washington, DC as a condition of his release.

However, Department of Justice investigators claim that he actively participated in the Capitol attack's covert operations, urging his supporters to thwart democracy and the peaceful transfer of power.

Along with four other individuals, Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, Tarrio is accused of participating in a seditious conspiracy. They have all entered a not-guilty plea. Up to 20 years in prison might be imposed on them. From beginning to end, the trial is anticipated to take roughly six weeks.

Matthew Greene entered a guilty plea to conspiracy in December 2021, making him the first Proud Boys member to do so. A number of the group's leaders have also entered guilty pleas, including Jeremy Joseph Bertino, 43, who was also accused of participating in a seditious conspiracy.

Charles Donohoe, another prominent Proud Boys member, entered a guilty plea in April 2022 to charges of conspiring to hinder an official proceeding and assaulting and obstructing police officers.

During the attack on January 6, Jacob Chansley stood in front of the Senate chamber with a US flag and a megaphone [Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo]

Shaman of QAnon Jacob Chansley: 41 months

Jacob Chansley, who gained the moniker "QAnon shaman" thanks to his horned headdress and face paint, was one of the attack's most recognizable characters.

Chansley believed in the QAnon conspiracy theory, which holds that an unidentified person going by the name of Q is privy to information regarding a deep-state "cabal" operating within the US government. Trump is portrayed in the conspiracy theory as a hero who can expose the cabal.

Chansley, who was captured on camera during the attack on January 6 standing on the Senate rostrum, received a 41-month prison term.

His punishment was the same as that of Scott Fairlamb, an ex-mixed martial artist who was seen on camera striking a police officer. One week before Chansley, in November 2021, he too was sentenced to 41 months in prison.

Since then, Chansley has been identified by prison officials as having transitory schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. Chansley believed that Trump would absolve him of his wrongdoing.

Reffitt, Guy Wesley: seven years, three months

Guy Wesley Reffitt, a Texas resident, was the first participant to be found guilty of invading the Capitol in March 2022. For federal prosecutors who are pursuing hundreds of cases related to the unrest, it was their first triumph.

Reffitt did not enter the Capitol himself, but according to the Department of Justice, he arrived "armed and prepared to incite violence" there.

Authorities claim that he assisted in charging at Capitol police officers outside the building and directing other rioters to the Capitol's doors. Reffitt allegedly proclaimed, "We're taking the Capitol before the day is out."

He was subsequently found guilty of storming the Capitol with a loaded revolver, interfering with police guarding the structure, and obstructing justice by threatening his two children in an effort to deter them from reporting him to the authorities.

Reffitt received a seven years and three-month sentence.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA