Federal authorities allege three self-styled militia members began recruiting members to take action against Joe Biden’s win shortly after he won the election.
According to the Washington Post, the trio also trained in North Carolina and Ohio and organized travel with a bus load of comrades to Washington.
A four-count indictment returned in D.C. laid out fresh details and allegations against Jessica Marie Watkins, 38, and Donovan Ray Crowl, 50 — both of Woodstock, Ohio — and Thomas E. Caldwell, 66, of Berryville, Va. The three, all U.S. military veterans, are accused of conspiring to obstruct Congress and other counts, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Authorities obtained walkie-talkie type conversations from a phone app where one of the defendants allegedly discussed about 30 to 40 members of the group “sticking together and sticking to the plan.”
In their planning the group cited the perceived direction of Donald Trump, according to prosecutors, “embracing his false claims of election fraud and readying for a fight in apocalyptic terms.”
If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.
