Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images/FILE
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 05: A member of the right-wing group Oath Keepers stands guard during a rally in front of the US Supreme Court Building on January 5, 2021 in Washington, DC. Today’s rally kicks off two days of pro-Trump events fueled by President Trump’s continued admissions of election fraud and a last-ditch effort to overturn the results before Congress passes them on January 6. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
CNN
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James Beeks, a member of the Oath Keepers and an actor who played Judas in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar,” was acquitted Tuesday by a judge of all federal charges he faced in connection with the attack on January 6, 2021 at the US Capitol.
Beeks faces charges for allegedly participating in a conspiracy with several other members of the Oath Keepers to stop the certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6.
He was acquitted after a bench trial before Judge Amit Mehta.
According to court documents, Beeks, wearing a Michael Jackson BAD world tour jacket, approached the group of Oath Keepers as they walked toward the Capitol and said he was a member of the organization because he paid a year’s worth of group membership. only two weeks before the attack on the Capitol.
Once inside the building, Beeks allegedly tried to break through the line of policemen guarding a hallway leading to the Senate chamber with a group of Oath Keepers.
Before his arrest, federal investigators watched Beeks — who goes by the stage name James T. Justis — at two performances of Jesus Christ Superstar to confirm his identity. They also matched photos of Beeks’ ears in the Capitol to a singing video he posted on YouTube.