Capitol rioter admits to conspiracy charge

An Alabama man pleaded guilty Wednesday to seditious conspiracy for his actions leading up to and during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot. Joshua A. James, a member of the Oath Keepers group, acknowledged getting into a physical altercation with a police officer while inside the Capitol. He also admitted to participating in a plan to use force to hinder the transfer of presidential power. James is the first person involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, melee at the Capitol to plead guilty to the rarely used seditious conspiracy charge, referring to a coordinated attempt to “conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the government of the United States” or to prevent the execution of a U.S. law. In addition, James pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction of an official proceeding.

Who is Joshua James? The Arab, Ala., resident is a 34-year-old Army combat veteran who earned a Purple Heart for his service during the Iraq War. Wednesday’s charges each carry a maximum 20-year prison sentence, but given his lack of criminal history and cooperation with investigators, James is likely to receive a relatively lenient sentence. James is one of 11 Oath Keepers indicted on seditious conspiracy charges related to the Capitol riot.

Dig Deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Sift about new rules the Pentagon released last year to fight extremism in the ranks.