Elmer Stewart Rhodes

Elmer Stewart Rhodes III (born 1966) is an American former attorney and the founder of the Oath Keepers, an American far-right anti-government militia. In November 2022, he was convicted of seditious conspiracy and evidence tampering related to his participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack culminating at the main campus of the United States Capitol complex. On May 23, 2023, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison before having his sentence commuted to time served by President Donald Trump following his return to office on January 20, 2025. Rhodes was released from federal prison on January 21, 2025.

Early life Elmer Stewart Rhodes III was born in 1966 in Fresno, California. His father was a U.S. Marine, and his mother worked on a farm.

After attending community college, Rhodes enrolled in Yale Law School. He became dissatisfied with what he perceived as eroding rights in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

On December 8, 2015, Rhodes was disbarred by the Montana Supreme Court for conduct violating the Montana Rules of Professional Conduct after refusing to respond to two bar grievances filed against him in the federal district court of Arizona. The Commission on Practice, which heard the bar complaint against Rhodes, "reasoned that, although Respondent's conduct does not involve conduct that has historically been the basis of disbarment by this Court, Respondent's refusal to cooperate in the disciplinary process constituted a knowing and intentional disregard of his obligations as an attorney ... and, therefore, he should forfeit the privilege of practicing law in Montana and be disbarred."

Oath Keepers Rhodes (right) with Brian D. Hill (left) and Alex Jones (center), 2012

Rhodes founded the Oath Keepers in March 2009. The organization was launched in Lexington, Massachusetts, at the location of the first American Revolutionary War battle.

Rhodes is reported to have taken inspiration from the notion that Adolf Hitler could have been stopped if German soldiers and police had refused to follow orders.

Rhodes has promoted the discredited theory of nullification, asserting that U.S. states may disregard federal laws. Rhodes spoke of a need to take up weapons to prevent Biden's inauguration and launched a campaign to persuade then-President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and deploy the military and the Oath Keepers as a militia.

On December 12, 2020, Rhodes spoke at a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., along with speakers including Michael Flynn, Sebastian Gorka, Alex Jones, podcaster David Harris Jr., Nick Fuentes, and Mike Lindell. Rhodes called on Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and warned that not doing so would lead to a "much more bloody war". On January 6, 2021, Rhodes entered "restricted Capitol grounds", where he directed Oath Keepers members via telephone and text, telling them which positions to take around the building.

Four days after the attack, Rhodes attended a meeting where he was recorded as saying: "My only regret is that they should have brought rifles... We should have brought rifles. We could have fixed it right then and there. I'd hang fucking Pelosi from the lamppost."

Seditious-conspiracy conviction On January 13, 2022, Rhodes and nine other members of the Oath Keepers were arrested and charged with seditious conspiracy. On November 29, 2022, after a nine-week trial, along with Kelly Meggs, Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy and evidence tampering regarding the January 6, 2021, United States Capitol attack. . Their conviction was the first for seditious conspiracy since 1995. Prosecutors sought a 25-year sentence, which included a terrorism sentencing enhancement. On May 25, 2023, Rhodes received an 18-year sentence, and Meggs received a 12-year sentence. Each was also sentenced to three years' supervised release following their prison terms.

Although Rhodes's sentence was the longest handed down, as of that time, to any of the charged conspirators, the Department of Justice on July 12, 2023, filed a notice of its intention to appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for longer terms for Rhodes and his co-defendants. Rhodes, Meggs, and the other convicted Oath Keepers also filed their appeals. Rhodes served his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution, Cumberland.

Presidential commutation On January 20, 2025, Rhodes and several other individuals involved in the January 6 United States Capitol attack received presidential commutations of their sentences on the first day of the second term of President Donald Trump. On January 24, 2025 Rhodes and seven other Oath Keepers were forbidden by the D.C. District Court from entering Washington D.C or the grounds of the Capitol without the permission of the court. On January 27, the order restricting Rhodes' D.C. travel was rescinded.

Dismissal of charges The U.S. Department of Justice, in its role as prosecutor, moved on May 22, 2026, to dismiss the indictment. On August 4, Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled that, while he "strongly disagree" with the government's opinion that "surrendering convictions for crimes against the country" served the public interest, he had no authority to deny the prosecutors' request. He dismissed the indictment, noting that the Oath Keepers' case had been "the last of the prosecutions seeking to hold accountable those responsible for the events of January 6."

Personal life Rhodes married Tasha Adams in 1994 after meeting her a few years earlier in Las Vegas. Before their marriage, Rhodes accidentally shot himself in the face with a .22 handgun after dropping it, leaving him using a prosthetic eyeball. Adams and Rhodes have six children, including Dakota Adams, their eldest son, who uses his mother's maiden name; The family lived in New Haven and several states in the Western United States. The children suffered severe medical neglect and were illiterate, and Dakota only learned his multiplication tables at age 19 so that he could pass his high school equivalency test. In the spring of 2024, Dakota Adams announced he was running for the Montana House of Representatives.