An Oath Keeper attorney from North Texas pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges in connection to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
She was accused of disrupting a joint session of the U.S. Congress, convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes to the 2020 presidential election.
Kellye SoRelle, 45, of Granbury, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstruction of justice by tampering with documents and a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
SoRelle was an affiliate of the Oath Keepers, which prosecutors described as a far-right militia group, and its founder and leader, Elmer Stewart Rhodes. She was also an attorney practicing out of Texas.
In the days following the 2020 presidential election, members of the Oath Keepers began discussing their opposition against President Joe Biden taking office. This opposition extended to advocating the use of force, court documents say.
On Nov. 5, 2020, Rhodes sent messages to Oath Keepers members, including SoRelle, saying they “MUST refuse to accept Biden as a legitimate winner,” and, “We aren’t getting through this without a civil war,” according to the release.
While hostile behavior escalated, some members distanced themselves from the group, but SoRelle stayed and worked on projects with Oath Keepers, the release says.
SoRelle and Rhodes traveled from Texas to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3, 2021, in preparation for the riot, court documents say. By the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, SoRelle and Rhodes were in the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol, according to the release.
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As the riot unfolded, SoRelle texted Oath Keepers in a group chat, “We are acting like the founding fathers—can’t stand down,” the release says.
Surveillance video showed SoRelle, Rhodes, and another Oath Keeper member entering the restricted areas of the Capital grounds, according to court documents.
While entering restricted areas, SoRelle live-streamed a video on Facebook, expressing her support for the rioters and urging others to not be afraid, the release reads.
She called the scene one of the “coolest damn things” she had ever witnessed and said the riot was a necessary step to prevent the U.S. from “descending into communism and tyranny,” the release says.
The group, including SoRelle and Rhodes, gathered for a dinner following the events that transpired at the riot. After being notified law enforcement was making arrests and searching for involved individuals, Rhodes turned his phone off and handed it to SoRelle, in an attempt to avoid tracking, according to the release, and drove back to Texas.
While traveling, Rhodes and SoRelle sent messages from her phone, urging Oath Keepers members to delete any evidence of their involvement at the riot, court documents say.
SoRelle also directed Rhodes to “clean up” his message chats, the release states.
The group of Oath Keepers complied and deleted messages, photos, and videos from their electronic devices that could serve as evidence of their participation in the riot, according to the release.
The FBI arrested SoRelle on Sept. 1, 2022, in Junction, Texas.
Judge Amit Mehta is scheduled to sentence her on Jan. 17.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western and Eastern Districts of Texas assisted.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Dallas and Washington Field Offices.
In the 43 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,400 people have been charged in almost all 50 states with crimes related to the U.S. Capitol riot, including about 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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