Feds: Man charged in riot boasted of an ‘alliance’ of Oath Keepers, Proud Boys

A Dunnellon man tied to the anti-government group the Oath Keepers boasted in online messages leading up to the U.S. Capitol riot about having “organized an alliance” with two other far-right groups, the Proud Boys and Three Percenters, according to federal prosecutors.

The messages, revealed in a Tuesday court filing in the case against Kelly Meggs, shed new light on the planning federal authorities allege preceded the Jan. 6 riot, which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer, and sent members of Congress fleeing for safety.

The government filing, in opposition to a request by Meggs for pretrial release, describes him as the “team leader” of a group of Oath Keepers who stormed the Capitol along with throngs of supporters of then-President Donald Trump, seeking to disrupt the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden’s victory in November’s election.

The new allegations of an alliance between the far-right groups were first reported by Politico, which described Meggs as the Oath Keepers’ Florida leader. He and his wife are among at least 24 Florida residents who have been arrested in connection with the riot.

Meggs faces charges of conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, destruction of government property and entering and remaining in a restricted building. He has pleaded not guilty.

According to prosecutors, Meggs began rallying others on Facebook to “join the fight” just days after the election.

“[A] lot of people here are talking! I don’t see anybody doing!” he posted Nov. 9, according to the court filing. “... This fight is face to face, not far away. If your [sic] ready to really join the fight DM me.”

He mentioned the alleged alliance on Dec. 16, prosecutors say.

“Well we are ready for the rioters, this week I organized an alliance between Oath Keepers, Florida 3%ers, and Proud Boys,” he posted. “We have decided to work together and shut this [expletive] down.”

Other messages showed Meggs seeming to react to a Dec .19 Twitter post by Trump, in which the then-president promoted falsehoods about election fraud before encouraging supporters to be in Washington: “Big protest in D.C. on January 6th,”” Trump tweeted. “Be there, will be wild!”

“It’s gonna be wild !!!!!!! It’s gonna be wild !!!!!!! He wants us to make it WILD that’s what he’s saying,” Meggs posted Dec. 22, according to prosecutors. “He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!! Sir Yes Sir!!”

The same day, Meggs again discussed coordinating with the Proud Boys, describing them as a “Force multiplier” who“always have a big group .”

Days later — on Christmas — Meggs was swapping messages on Facebook with someone about armaments and a plan to coordinate with the Proud Boys to “beat the hell out of ” Antifa, a militant anti-fascist movement whose supporters have frequently clashed with far-right groups.

“[ D. C .] is no guns ,” he posted just after midnight. “So mace and gas masks, some batons. If you have armor that’s good. During the day it’s kind of boring but when it starts getting dark Game on.”

In messages the following day, Meggs speculated that Trump would use the emergency broadcast system to invoke the Insurrection Act, a 1807 law that had been the subject of numerous debunked conspiracies among far-right groups about Trump remaining in power.

“That’s awesome. Any idea when?” asked the person with whom Meggs was messaging, whose name was redacted from the court filing.

“Next week,” Meggs said. “Then wait for the 6th when we are all in DC to insurrection.”

Prosecutors indicated in the filing that they had discovered extensive evidence of planning ahead of the Jan. 6 riot involving Meggs, who “organized and participated in” at least 10 online meetings with fellow Oath Keepers, using the moniker “Gator 1.”

He also paid for four hotel rooms in the D.C. area for himself, his wife and fellow Oath Keepers, prosecutors said.

“Defendant Meggs not only led and planned the Oath Keepers’ activities, he financed them,” the filing states.

During the riot, authorities have said Meggs and the other Oath Keepers members, dressed in military-style attire, operated in a “stack” formation, moving in file with their hands on each others’ backs or body armor, to move through the crowd and into the Capitol.

That evening, prosecutors said, Meggs wrote in a chat group on the Signal app that “We are now the enemy of the State.”

“We aren’t quitting!! We are reloading!!”