An Indiana man who on Jan. 6, 2021 provided security for the Oath Keepers militia group was on Friday sentenced to two years of probation after being found guilty of a misdemeanor trespassing charge.
‘Pretty Damn Good’
The judge said that the jury had acquitted Mr. Greene of the more serious charges and that verdict “has to be respected.”Mr. Greene told WUSA9 reporter Jordan Fischer outside the courtroom that he was hired by the Oath Keepers to provide security on Jan. 6 at the rally that preceded the Capitol breach.
While prosecutors alleged that Mr. Greene was a “top-trusted lieutenant” in the Oath Keepers, the judge sided with Mr. Greene’s defense team, which argued that he was not directly linked to the group.
“We frankly don’t have a great deal of insight into what his political views were or what he thought about the election outcome,” Judge Mehta said.
Mr. Greene insisted he was hired to do security work for the Oath Keepers and never joined the organization.
Mr. Greene added that he’s not politically engaged and on Jan. 6, he “was paid to do a job.”
“I came to do a job, and I went home,” he said.
His attorney added that he was paid around $5,000 to oversee the Oath Keepers’ security services for figures like Roger Stone, longtime confidant to former President Donald Trump, as well as “Stop the Steal” organizer Ali Alexander.
The same judge that presided over Mr. Greene’s sentencing handed down the 18-year punishment for Mr. Rhodes, who was convicted in 2022 of seditious conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, and tampering with documents or proceedings.
At his sentencing, Mr. Rhodes insisted he was a “political prisoner,” a view the judge rejected.
“For decades, Mr. Rhodes, it is clear you have wanted the democracy of this country to devolve into violence,” Judge Mehta said at the time.
“You are not a political prisoner, Mr. Rhodes.”
Oath Keepers
The Oath Keepers is a group composed mostly of former and current law enforcement and military members who have taken an oath to “defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Mr. Rhodes said he went to Washington to provide security for top speakers, including Mr. Stone.
The Oath Keepers leader said he was concerned that Trump supporters would be attacked by members of the far-left Antifa network, which had carried out such attacks before.
Mr. Rhodes said he went to the Capitol from the speech venue to order Oath Keepers away from the building after watching television coverage of the chaos breaking out there.
The 18-year sentence handed down to Mr. Rhodes is the longest so far in the Jan. 6 cases.
Judge Mehta applied sentencing enhancements based on a range of factors, including what he described as Mr. Rhodes’s “terroristic conduct.”
“Did a lot of old guys at barbershops go to the Capitol?” assistant U.S. attorney Jeffrey Nestler asked Mr. Greene during cross-examination.
“These guys basically talked about old military [expletive],” Mr. Greene said, per the outlet.
“It was like a camp. They were there camping out.”