N.C. man admits guilt in Capitol riot plot

A North Carolina man pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring with other members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group to forcefully halt the peaceful transfer of power after President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.

William Todd Wilson, 44, of Newton Grove is the third Oath Keepers member to plead guilty to a seditious conspiracy charge stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Wilson was an Oath Keeper member since 2016 and a Sampson County leader of the group’s North Carolina chapter, according to a court filing, which describes him as a military and law enforcement veteran.

“Some members of the Oath Keepers, like Wilson, believe that the federal government has been coopted by a cabal of elites actively trying to strip American citizens of their rights,” the filing says.

Wilson brought a rifle, pistol, ammunition and other combat gear when he drove to the Washington area on Jan. 5. He left the weapons in a Virginia hotel room but was armed with a pocketknife and wearing a neck gaiter and beanie hat to mask his appearance when he and other Oath Keepers entered the Capitol, prosecutors said.

Wilson joined a mob of people trying to push open the rotunda doors, according to prosecutors.