In a new lawsuit on Thursday, federal prosecutors accused Kelly Meggs, a member of the Oath Keepers, of lying in court and to the FBI for never having received paramilitary training before breaking into the US Capitol on January 6, although he and his wife, in fact, attended at least two of these sessions.
The petition, filed at the DC District Court, came less than a day later BuzzFeed News unveiled for the first time photos and videos of Meggs and his wife, Connie Meggs, attending at least two military-style training sessions organized by a former US Marine in Florida last year.
The couple, who live in Dunnellon, Fla., Are among 10 people indicted for conspiring to interfere with Electoral College certification by forcibly entering the Capitol on January 6, among other charges. Both have been in prison since their arrests on February 17 and have filed for bail. The Justice Department argued that they should be kept behind bars; hearings to determine whether they will stay in prison are scheduled for Friday in Washington, DC
In his release request, filed on March 17, Kelly, 52, stated that “he never served in the army nor was he subjected to any paramilitary training”. In the new lawsuit, prosecutors said he denied having undergone any firearm training in Florida when interviewed by the FBI after his arrest. “We never actually did that, but it was one of the things we were talking about,” said Kelly.
But the records analyzed by BuzzFeed News from Facebook, Instagram and other online sources show that the couple, along with their son and at least one other member of the Oath Keepers, Kenneth Harrelson, participated in two separate firearms instruction sessions. promoted by Combat Art Training at a facility in Leesburg, Florida. Harrelson is also being indicted for his role in the January 6 events.
The first training session, held on September 20, was entitled “Rifleman rifle class 1”. According to the description of a class, the participants were taught “how to shoot at close range with a rifle quickly and effectively”. The financial records analyzed by prosecutors show that Kelly paid $ 600 to the combat training center on January 21.
In a video of the session in which the Meggs family participated, Connie can be seen using what prosecutors call the “AR platform firearm”, while Kelly is seen preparing to shoot human targets. He can be heard laughing as the instructor, Andrew Smrecek, discusses how well-placed shots can “break bones” instead of causing mere “injuries to the flesh.” According to prosecutors, the instructor taught the Meggs to aim for the chest to hit the heart to inflict “massive bleeding” or the lungs to cause “chest wounds”.
The suit also notes that the tactical equipment that Kelly used on January 6 has not been recovered by the police. Prosecutors highlighted a group conversation on January 22 in which he seemed to suggest that he may have hidden or destroyed that equipment. “I lost everything in a boat accident,” he wrote.
Separately, prosecutors also revealed on Wednesday night that Kelly had a 97-second phone call on the afternoon of January 6 with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, moments before he and his wife joined other members of the group. militant on the east side of the Capitol and started to make their way into the building The substance of this call is not known. After leaving Capitol, Oath Keepers members gathered around Rhodes, according to prosecutors.
Earlier this month, Rhodes denied the Washington Post that he ordered a dozen or more Oath Keepers to enter the Capitol. In a text exchange with BuzzFeed News, he refused to address the government’s case against the Oath Keepers and asked why he should answer reporters’ questions, saying: “It’s like Solzhenitsyn being approached by Pravda for a comment on an article of success they are making of him. “He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Rhodes, who has not been charged with any crime related to the insurrection, is referred to as “Person One” in hearings and court proceedings. But as the conspiracy case against the Oath Keepers progresses, prosecutors reveal more and more about Rhodes’ actions before and on January 6, in a series of lawsuits calling for the continued detention of indicted members.
Much of this information is taken from a group chat on Signal, an encrypted messaging app in which Rhodes participated along with at least four other Oath Keepers, all accused of entering Capitol. Late in the evening of January 6, prosecutors said, Rhodes sent a long message to the Signal group comparing the day’s events to the 1773 Boston Tea Party.
“The founding generation of the Children of Liberty invaded the mansion of the corrupt Massachusetts Royal Governor and destroyed the place. They also jumped on board a ship carrying East Indian tea and threw it at the port, ”wrote Rhodes. “In fact, we are in a much more deadly situation, given the FACT that foreign and domestic enemies have subverted, infiltrated and assumed control of all the positions and levels of power in this nation.”
Details about Rhodes and his interactions with Kelly and other indicted members came in a Justice Department lawsuit arguing against the release of Jessica Watkins, a member of Oath Keepers who has been behind bars since his arrest in mid-January.
The evidence, prosecutors say, “further reinforces the audacious and corrupt nature of the conspiracy in which she and her co-conspirators have become involved.”