A Georgia member of the Oath Keepers pleaded guilty Friday to seditious conspiracy and obstruction of Congress in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Brian Ulrich, 44, admitted to conspiring with other members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group, before the insurrection at the Capitol to attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election, as well as to providing them and himself with gear for the riot, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a press release.
According to the DOJ, in December 2020 Ulrich messaged a Signal group called “Oath Keepers of Georgia”: “I seriously wonder what it would take just to get ever patriot marching around the capital armed? Just to show our government how powerless they are!”
Ulrich encouraged others to join him in traveling to Washington, D.C., messaging the group that “Civil War” could be necessary if President Biden was inaugurated, according to the release.
“If there’s a Civil War then there’s a Civil War,” he wrote to the group.
Ulrich purchased gear including radio receivers and a medical tourniquet and was informed that others would bring firearms, the DOJ said. On Jan. 6, the department said he entered the Capitol along with others in a military formation while wearing tactical gear and moved toward the Capitol Rotunda as authorities attempted to clear the area before leaving the building.
Ulrich was arrested on Aug. 9 and indicted for seditious conspiracy and other charges along with 10 others in January.
Fellow Oath Keepers member Joshua James pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy last month. Four others connected with the group have pleaded guilty to obstruction of Congress and a lesser conspiracy charge.
Ulrich will cooperate with the Jan. 6 investigation as part of his plea deal, according to the DOJ.
He faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the two felony counts he pleaded guilty to, as well as potential financial penalties. The sentencing date remains undetermined.