ORLANDO, Fla. – Four Florida men are among the 11 people being charged with seditious conspiracy stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
A federal grand jury indicted Kenneth Harrelson, 41, of Titusville, Kelly Meggs, 52, of Dunnellon, Joseph Hackett, 51, of Sarasota, and David Moerschel, 44, of Punta Gorda on Wednesday. All were already facing other charges related to the attack.
The men are among 11 facing the new seditious conspiracy charge. All of them are members of the Oath Keepers militia group. They were charged along with Oathkeepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes.
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The U.S. Justice Department said the suspects are all accused of conspiring to stop the certification of President Biden’s electoral win on Jan. 6. Records show that plans included efforts to bring weapons and paramilitary gear to Washington, teaching paramilitary combat tactics, and organizing teams to both take control of the Capitol ground on Jan. 6 and also station teams outside the city to be prepared to transport weapons to support the teams at the Capitol.
The Justice Department said all of this was coordinated over websites, social media and encrypted messaging applications.
The charge of seditious conspiracy carries a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
While the Oath Keepers will accept anyone as a member, the organization actively recruits former military, law enforcement and first-responder personnel — people trained in the kind of tactics used to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
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Since the Jan. 6 attack, more than 725 people have been arrested across the country. Florida is the top state for arrests with 66.