(AP) - An Alabama man affiliated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia group pleaded guilty Wednesday to seditious conspiracy for his actions leading up and through the Jan. 6 riot, marking the first person involved in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol to be convicted of the rarely used charge.

The sentencing guideline range for Joshua A. James, who also pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, was estimated to be 7¼ to nine years in prison.

The 34-year-old from Arab, Alabama, acknowledged getting into a physical altercation with a police officer while inside the Capitol and participating in a plan to use force to hinder or delay the transfer of presidential power. James also agreed to cooperate with authorities investigating the riot, including testifying before a grand jury.

Authorities say James and others affiliated with the group rode golf carts to the Capitol, moved through the crowd in a military-style “stack” formation and went into the building.

James was accused of pushing past officers who tried to stop rioters from moving toward the Rotunda, joining others who confronted officers and profanely proclaiming the building was his. A week before the riot, James said in an encrypted chat that he believed teams within the militia group were adequately armed, prosecutors said in court records.

While four other people connected with the Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty to obstruction of Congress and a lesser conspiracy charge, James is the first among the 11 people associated with the group to plead guilty to a seditious conspiracy charge.

The seditious conspiracy prosecution is the boldest publicly known attempt so far by the government to prosecute those who attacked the U.S. Capitol. The group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, and others have pleaded not guilty to seditious conspiracy and other charges. A seditious conspiracy conviction carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, compared with five years on the lesser conspiracy charge facing other group members.

Those charged with seditious conspiracy are accused of working together to use force to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power. Authorities say participants discussed their plans in encrypted chats, traveled to the nation’s capital from across the country, organized into teams, used military tactics, stashed weapons in case they felt they were needed and communicated with each other during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Prosecutors say the group set up a “quick reaction force,” or QRF, that kept guns at a hotel in nearby Arlington, Virginia, and were prepared to bring the weapons into Washington if Rhodes or associates believed the need arose. Days before the attack, one defendant suggested getting a boat to ferry weapons across the Potomac River. In the end, the QRF teams didn’t bring guns into Washington.

At the Capitol, Oath Keepers marched in two teams in stack formation, with team members advancing forward with one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them.

More than 750 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 220 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, more than 100 have been sentenced and at least 90 others have trial dates.

The attack resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer. More than 100 officers were injured. Rioters caused over $1 million in damage. __ Billeaud reported from Phoenix.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

 

Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Brian Ulrich, a Georgia man affiliated with the Oath Keepers militia group, became the second Capitol rioter to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy for his actions leading up and through the attack.

Jose Luis Magana/AP file photo

A member of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group has pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and agreed to cooperate with the government.

Brian Ulrich entered his guilty plea at a virtual hearing Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The 44-year-old from Guyton, Ga., is the second Oath Keeper to plead guilty to sedition charges in the highest-profile case to emerge from the federal investigation into the Capitol riot.

Ulrich is one of 11 Oath Keepers, including the group's founder Stewart Rhodes, to be charged with seditious conspiracy and other crimes for allegedly plotting to use force to prevent Congress' Jan. 6 certification of President Biden's election win.

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Now, five months before the case is set to go trial, prosecutors have secured the cooperation of two members of the alleged conspiracy to help build their prosecution against the remaining defendants.

"Did you do that sir, agree with Mr. Rhodes and develop a plan to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power by Jan. 20, 2021?" Judge Amit Mehta asked at Friday's hearing.

"Yes, your honor," Ulrich replied.

At one point during the proceedings, Judge Mehta stopped while explaining the maximum sentences for each count and asked whether Ulrich needed a moment.

"I'm alright," Ulrich said.

"Are you sure?" Mehta asked.

"It's not going to get any easier," Ulrich replied.

Mehta said the estimated guidelines range for Ulrich's sentence is 63 to 78 months, or just over 5 years to 7 ½ years.

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According to the statement of offense, Ulrich joined an Oath Keepers encrypted chat group in late November of 2020 in which members, including Ulrich, talked about a possible civil war if Biden were inaugurated.

Ulrich later was added to an encrypted Oath Keepers group chat entitled "DC OP: Jan 6 21" that included Rhodes. The members used the chat to plan their travel to Washington, D.C. for Jan. 6. They also discussed what gear to bring, including radios, helmets and weapons.

On the day itself, after the pro-Trump mob had breached the Capitol doors and was streaming inside, Ulrich and several of his co-defendants hopped into golf carts and drove to the Capitol wearing tactical gear and goggles.

Once there, they formed a military stack-style formation and forced their way up the steps and into the building. Ulrich left the Capitol after being hit with chemical spray by police officers trying to protect the complex