One of the leading members of the American far-right, Stuart Rhodes, was sentenced today in prison for 18 yearsafter being found guilty of “conspiracy to stop” and other offenses related to the invasion of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

This is the heaviest sentence imposed to date for this case. The charge was for “attempting to overthrow or destroy by force the government of the United States.”

“You represent a permanent threat and danger to the country”federal judge Emit Meta told Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers organization, who appeared defiant in court, insisting he is “political prisoner”.

“For decades, Mr. Rhodes, it is clear that you wanted democracy to degenerate in this country. You are not a political prisoner” replied the judge.

Rhodes, a former Army paratrooper who studied law at Yale, was convicted in November by a federal judge in Washington.

Judge Meta is also scheduled to announce the sentence of his co-defendant, Kelly Meggs, who was the head of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers organization, later today. Prosecutors have asked for a 21-year sentence.

Rhodes’ sentence is the heaviest to date for the attack on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump in an attempt to prevent Congress from ratifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory. To date, the longest sentence was the 14 years in prison handed down to a Pennsylvania man for assaulting police officers.

In his statement to the court before his sentence was announced, Rhodes said he was trying to oppose people who were “destroying the country” and said he would “expose the criminality of the regime” from his cell.