Graydon Young, a Florida native, pleaded guilty on June 23 to charges related to the Capitol riots that took place on January 6. The 54-year-old is an alleged member of the Oath Keepers. The plea deal was the first among the insurrection cases against extremist groups.
Young, who went by “GenXPatriot”, has been charged in a conspiracy case that includes 16 individuals and alleges that members of the Oath Keepers plotted to carry out the January 6 riots.
The development is an important one considering that it’s the first guilty plea among defendants in the major insurrection cases. It’s also significant because the investigation into finding leads on extremist groups that were behind planning for an armed attack to help the then-President Trump is ongoing. The attack was also aimed to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election.
Agreeing to cooperate with federal investigators, Young cut a deal to plead to two felony counts: obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy. As per estimates read at the plea hearing on June 23, the sentencing of over five years in prison is likely. For damage done to the Capitol building, Young has agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution.
Prosecutors secured a major feat in the plea deal. It includes the fact that the conspiracy by the Oath Keepers was planned meticulously. The right-wing militia group stationed guns around the building and coordinated their movements to attack Congress.
Investigators stated that Young traveled to a hotel in Virginia to take part in pro-Trump rallies in Washington in early January. Prosecutors claim that he joined the far-right coalition comprising ex-military and law enforcement before January 6. In December, he was posting on Facebook about recruiting for the Oath Keepers. Aiding and abetting charges against Young, including the charge for deleting his Facebook account on January 8, have been dropped.