Phoenix Suspected 'Oath Keeper' Indicted In Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

PHOENIX, AZ — A Phoenix man, along with 10 other members or suspected members of the Oath Keepers, were indicted Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Edward Vallejo, 63, was arrested Thursday morning in Phoenix, the department said. Vallejo was indicted by a federal grand jury on suspicion of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol insurrection and the events leading up to it, according to the Department of Justice.

The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the Oath Keepers one of the largest far-right anti-government organizations in the United States.

Vallejo and Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, 56, of Granbury, Texas, who officials say is the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, were first accused in the case this week, alongside other Oath Keepers who were already facing charges.

Court records relating to the indictments were unsealed Thursday.

In court documents, Vallejo, Rhodes and other members of the Oath Keepers are accused of making a coordinated effort to travel to Washington, D.C., in early January 2021, bringing weapons, with the goal using force to oppose the transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.

Those accused of seditious conspiracy are suspected of organizing teams that were ready to use force, organizing trainings to teach paramilitary combat tactics, bringing weapons such as batons and knives to the Capitol grounds and ultimately breaching the Capitol building on Jan. 6 with the goal of hindering or delaying the certification of the 2020 election Electoral College vote.

Some members of the Oath Keepers are accused of being stationed just outside Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, ready to transport weapons and other supplies to those at the Capitol to aid their efforts. Vallejo and Rhodes are suspected of coordinating those teams, according to court documents.

In total, 19 members or suspected members of the Oath Keepers have been indicted in connected with the Capitol insurrection.

This is a breaking story, Patch will update it as more information becomes available.