Trial is set to kick off Tuesday against five members of Oath Keepers, including the far-right militia groups leader, as they face the most serious charges to come out of the Capitol riot yet.

Theyre accused of a rare crime, seditious conspiracy against the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars. The government hasnt won a conviction on a sedition charge since 1995, when Omar Abdel-Rahman and nine others were found guilty of conspiring to bomb New York landmarks.

According to prosecutors, the Oath Keepers were preparing for some seriously deadly violence to take place on Jan. 6, 2021. They dressed the part of modern revolutionary soldiers ready to fight back against oppression although, in reality, what they were opposing was the will of the American people, who had turned out to democratically elect Joe Biden over Donald Trump in 2020.

The groups path to the Capitol grounds was over a decade in the making.

Who are the Oath Keepers?

In short, the Oath Keepers are an anti-government militia group with local chapters. It was founded by Elmer Stewart Rhodes. Heres how prosecutors describe it in court filings:

[They are] a large but loosely organized collection of individuals, some of whom are associated with militias. Some members of the Oath Keepers believe that the federal government has been coopted by a cabal of elites actively trying to strip American citizens of their rights. Though the Oath Keepers will accept anyone as members, they explicitly focus on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement, and first-responder personnel.

Their name alludes to the sworn oath that members of the military take to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The group envisions a day where they will refuse to obey unconstitutional orders out of a sense of duty and patriotism. Such orders could include a federal assault weapons ban, which Rhodes has long pledged to resist.

The group appears to have been successful in recruiting active law enforcement. Earlier this year the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism said its ranks included some 370 people believed to currently work in law enforcement, including sheriffs and other top brass. A senior figure in the Oath Keepers bragged to a reporter last year about how many active-duty law enforcement personnel they had.

Who is Elmer Stewart Rhodes?