Oath Keeper with Orange County ties get 4.5-year prison term in Jan. 6 sedition plot case
A former Orange County resident convicted of seditious conspiracy for his part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was sentenced to four and a half years in prison on Thursday.
Roberto Minuta, a 38-year-old Newburgh Free Academy graduate who owned a tattoo shop in Newburgh until recently, was one of nine members of Oath Keepers militia found guilty in two federal jury trials and the latest to be sentenced. Prosecutors had sought a 17-year prison term for Minuta.
But Judge Amit Mehta, who presided over the Oath Keeper trials in Washington, D.C., imposed a much lighter sentence: 54 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Other convicted Oath Keepers had so far been given prison sentences ranging from 4 to 18 years.
Sentencing looms: Oath Keeper convicted of Jan. 6 sedition plot faces up to 17 years in prison
Trial date: Newburgh tattoo shop owner faces trial for seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 riot case
Minuta charged with illegally entering Capitol
Minuta faced the rare and serious charge of seditious conspiracy for allegedly plotting with other members of the right-wing militia to prevent the peaceful transfer of power when Congress met in January 2021 to formalize President Joe Biden's election victory. He also was charged with illegally entering the Capitol amid the throngs of Donald Trump supporters who stormed the building.
Minuta's lawyer had suggested a year of home confinement instead of prison, saying Minuta went to Washington solely to provide security for Trump ally Roger Stone and committed no violence at the Capitol. He has been prohibited from leaving his home in Texas since his conviction in January.
Minuta expressed remorse and repudiated the Oath Keepers as he addressed the judge before his sentencing on Thursday, according to published accounts. “My emotions got the best of me, and I’m deeply apologetic, your honor,” the Associated Press quoted him as saying. “I was misled and naïve."
Video clues: Newburgh tattoo artist under media scrutiny for his militia role in DC on Capitol riot day
Minuta moved with his family to a Dallas suburb in 2020 but continued to own and make periodic work trips to his tattoo shop in Newburgh. He finally sold Casa Di Dolore on Broadway in December, according to the business' Facebook page.
The Oath Keepers founder, Stewart Rhodes, was sentenced to 18 years in prison last week for his Jan. 6 conviction, the longest incarceration yet for the more than 1,000 people charged in connection with the Capitol riot.
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Capitol rioter, Oath Keeper Rob Minuta of Orange County sentenced
