Pro-Trump rioters breach the security perimeter and penetrate the U.S. Capitol to protest the Electoral College vote count to certify the presidency of Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI |
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Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Federal prosecutors have indicted three alleged members of the far-right Oath Keepers group on charges of storming the Capitol building earlier this month with intent to obstruct Congress from certifying the election win of President Joe Biden.
The indictments, announced Wednesday by the Justice Department, accuse Jessica Marie Watkins, 38, Donovan Ray Crowl, 50, and Thomas Caldwell, 65, of conspiring since November to obstruct official proceedings, for which they face up to 20 years in prison.
The trio have also been charged with destruction of government property and unlawful entry of a restricted building.
The Justice Department accuses the three suspects of being members of the Oath Keepers, which the Anti-Defamation League describes on its website as "a large and loosely organized anti-government extremist group" that actively recruits active and former military, law enforcement and first responder personnel.
Crowl and Watkins are also accused of being members of the Ohio State Regular Militia with Watkins claiming on social media to be a commanding officer of that group, the Justice Department said.
The charging documents accuse the three suspects of participating Jan. 6 in a siege on the U.S. Capitol building by supporters of former President Donald Trump in an effort to stop Congress for certifying Biden as the 46th president. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least five people, including a Capitol Police officer.
The three suspects documented their storming of the Capitol on Social media, according to the documents
In the indictment, prosecutors accuse Caldwell of posting to Facebook on Jan. 6 that "we are surging. Doors breached." Watkins is also accused of posting photos of herself and Crowl on her Parler account with the caption "me before forcing entry into the Capitol building."
The Justice Department said the trio had been conspiring since November and continued communicating with one another until Watkins and Crowl were arrested on Jan. 18. Caldwell was arrested the next day.
