On Wednesday, an alleged member of Oath Keepers pleaded guilty to charges related to the January 6 Insurrection. This was the first plea agreement among the Capitol riot cases that involved extremist groups.
Graydon Youth, a 54-year-old Florida man who went under the name “GenXPatriot”, is facing 16-person conspiracy charges alleging that members of the Oath Keepers conspired to execute the January 6 rebellion.
This is the first guilty plea by any defendant in the major Capitol Riot conspiracy cases. It is an important development for investigators as they continue to pursue leads regarding extremist groups they believe planned to attack President Donald Trump’s office and prevent Congress from certifying 2020 elections.
Young agreed to cooperate with federal investigators and made a deal to plead guilty on two felonies — conspiracy and obstruction in an official proceeding. According to the estimates made at Wednesday’s plea hearing, Young could be sentenced to more than five years imprisonment. He also agreed to pay $2,000 as restitution for the damage to the Capitol Building.
The plea agreement includes the fact that the conspiracy involved extensive planning in scope, preparation. This is a major coup for prosecutors as they continue investigating the Oath Keepers stationed around the Capitol and coordinated their movements to attack Congress.
Young’s aiding-and-abetting and for deleting his Facebook accounts are being dropped by the prosecution. January 8, 2018. Young is one of two siblings in Oath Keepers. Investigators claim that Young traveled to Virginia to attend pro-Trump rallies.
Prosecutors claim that he applied for membership to the Oath Keepers, a far-right coalition of ex-military officers and law enforcement, which organized paramilitary training, attendance at political events and other related activities, prior to January 6. He was also posting on Facebook about recruitment for the group in December.
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Prosecutors claim that Young was part the military-style “stack” of Oath Keepers, which cut through the crowd and moved inside the Capitol.