Brian Ulrich, a member of the far-right militia group the Oath Keepers, pled guilty on Friday to seditious conspiracy and obstructing an official proceeding – two charges stemming from the January 6th Capitol attack – and agreed to provide “substantial assistance” to the Department of Justice as it investigates the events culminating in the riot.
As part of the deal, the DOJ dropped three lesser charges.
Business Insider reports:
Ulrich, 44, was indicted in January along with 10 others, including Oath Keepers leader Elmer Stewart Rhodes, on charges that they coordinated a wide-ranging plot to forcibly disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. In the indictment, federal prosecutors alleged that the plot included so-called “quick reaction forces” and a cache of weapons stored in a hotel room outside Washington, DC.
The seditious conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. It is perhaps the most serious charge prosecutors have brought in the nearly 800 criminal prosecutions stemming from the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
The Washington Post reports that Ulrich, a native of Guyton, Georgia, grew distressed during Friday’s hearing:
At a plea hearing held by videoconference, Ulrich briefly grew emotional as U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta read the penalties aloud but declined when the judge asked if he needed a short break.
“No your honor….. It’s only going to get harder,” Ulrich said.
Ulrich was recorded in Washington providing security to longtime Donald Trump political adviser Roger Stone in January 2021. Ulrich is the third bodyguard who was seen with Stone on Jan. 5 or 6 to plead guilty in the Capitol rioting and the second in the seditious conspiracy case to do so.
One of them, Joshua James, 34, of Arab, Ala., became the first to plead guilty on March 2 to seditious conspiracy. The Army veteran who was injured in Iraq agreed to cooperate in hopes of reducing a recommended sentence of 87 to 108 months in prison.
In a press release, the DOJ explains the case against Ulrich:
In his guilty plea, Ulrich admitted that, from November 2020 through January 2021, he conspired with other Oath Keeper members and affiliates to use force to prevent, hinder and delay the execution of the laws of the United States governing the transfer of presidential power. He and others used encrypted and private communications, equipped themselves with a variety of weapons, donned combat and tactical gear, and were prepared to use force to stop the transfer of power.
In the weeks leading to Jan. 6, 2021, Ulrich and others used an application called “Signal” to prepare for the actions that would take place that day. Ulrich encouraged others in a group called “Oath Keepers of Georgia” to join him in Washington. In one chat, on Dec. 5, 2020, he messaged the group, “I seriously wonder what it would take just to get ever patriot marching around the capital armed? Just to show our government how powerless they are!’ On Dec. 11, 2020, Ulrich messaged the group chat that “Civil War” may be necessary if Joseph R. Biden became President of the United States, adding “I made my peace with God before I joined.” Another individual later messaged, “remember, it is not over until January 20th.” Ulrich responded, “And if there’s a Civil War then there’s a Civil War.”
The press release continues:
On Jan. 6, after learning the Capitol had been breached, Ulrich and others traveled to the Capitol on golf carts, driving around multiple barricades, including marked law enforcement vehicles. Ulrich was wearing a tactical vest, radio equipment, a body-worn camera, goggles, a camouflage tactical backpack, a black neck gaiter, and an Oath Keepers hat.
He and others weaved through the restricted area in a military “stack” formation with hands on shoulders and gear. Ulrich marched in a line up the stairs on the east side of the Capitol. He entered the building at 3:22 p.m., maneuvering himself toward the entrance to the Rotunda as law enforcement officers were attempting to clear the area. After officers deployed chemical-irritant spray, Ulrich left the Capitol and gathered with other co-conspirators approximately 100 feet from the building. In the aftermath of Jan. 6, Ulrich continued to communicate with co-conspirators on Signal, including one message urging them to “stay below the radar.”
Ulrich was arrested in August. He is among 800 Americans who have been arrested for participating in the Capitol attack. Over 250 individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.