Mysterious Oath keeper 'operations commander' for January 6 identified
Military veteran and career small town Pennsylvania cop headed the Oath keepers ground operation until he was felled by Covid-19 hours before the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
By Nate Thayer
July 8, 2022
The previously unidentified Oath keepers militia ‘overall operations commander’ for the January 6 insurrection is a former Pennsylvania law enforcement officer and military veteran, an investigation shows.
Federal prosecutors have kept secret the identity of 69-year old retired career Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania police officer Donald S. Siekerman, referring to Siekerman only as un-indicted co-conspirator ‘Person Nineteen’ in numerous court filings in the criminal conspiracy cases filed against Oath keepers, the highest profile prosecutions to have emerged in the 18 months since the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
According to court documents, FBI interviews, logs of encrypted online messaging boards used to organize and plan for January 6, and interviews, Siekerman commanded the nearly two dozen Oath keepers now charged with conspiring to stockpile an ‘arsenal of weapons’ and violently assault the Capitol to thwart the peaceful transition of presidential power.
On December 30, 2020, Oath keepers founder and head Stewart Rhodes appointed Siekerman to command Oath keepers descending on D.C. from across the country.
“I’m putting Don Siekerman in overall command of this op,” Rhodes wrote on the Oath keepers encrypted, by-invitation-only ‘Leadership Signal Chat’ on December 30, 2020. “And then Whip, Josh and Kelly as his seconds because they have been to DC prior.”
All three of these Siekerman subordinates have since been arrested and charged with conspiracy for their role in the January insurrection.
Michael ‘Whip’ Greene, a former Indianapolis Airport Authority police officer, Iraq combat veteran, and private security contractor, replaced Siekerman as Oath keepers ‘ground commander’ after Siekerman was stricken with Covid-19 shortly before January 6, according to interviews with Greene, Oath keeper encrypted messaging boards used to plan for January 6, and court documents. Greene was arrested June 23rd, the latest arrest of those affiliated with the militia group. He is charged with five felony counts for his role in the January riots.
Alabama Oath keepers state chapter head Joshua James plead guilty to ‘seditious conspiracy’ charges In March 2022, and is cooperating with federal prosecutors against his 10 co-defendants. James, who reported directly to Siekerman, ferried weapons and ammunition and stored them at a Virginia hotel on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., headed the personal security detail for Roger Stone on January 5 and 6, and broke through police lines to enter the capitol building during the height of the violence on January 6.
Florida chapter head Kelly Meggs is also charged with ‘seditious conspiracy’ and has remained jailed since his February 2021 arrest. Meggs organized a team of 27 Oath keepers, most of whom brought weapons, from Florida, Ohio, and South Carolina to provide security for VIP speakers. Originally scheduled to provide security for Roger Stone, Meggs switched at the last minute to have his contingent provide security to speakers at the pro-Trump events organized by the far right extremist Ali Alexander. Among those scheduled to speak were elected politicians from Florida who remain unidentified. “Just spoke to Stone,” Meggs wrote on the Signal Leadership chat site. “They are moving him back to 3:30 Wednesday. We are picking him up Tuesday at 1 pm.”
Referring to Roger Stone, Meggs wrote “He just texted me this so he must be looking at this as a money maker for him. He is quite the entrepreneur! You wanna buy a rock for $25 dollars? He’s got em.
Meggs, using his online alias ‘Gator 1,’ then posted a January 1 text message from Stone: “Excellent. My transportation to DC is a little up in the air but it is my intention to come in on Tuesday which may be private or may be commercial. Ass soon as I known I will let you know. There is an enormous amount of intrigue going on regarding the various programs on Tuesday and we are in the process of sorting that out. Look for an email later today with an update.”
Meggs also broke through police lines to occupy the Capitol.
On the afternoon of January 1st, two days after he was first announced as ‘operational commander’, Rhodes reaffirmed Siekerman’s leadership role in messages to state and regional leaders on their encrypted Signal Leadership Chat site. “You may recall Don Siekerman and ‘Whip.’ They are the overall op leads for this one. As always anyone bringing a team can keep their team together and under their immediate command, but Don and Whip are overall leaders and coordinating all the many moving parts.”
That same day, Siekerman messaged Alabama Oath keepers state chapter head Joshua James “and asked him to take on a larger leadership role over more than just his team from Alabama,” reads a prosecution court filings for James, who used the online alias ‘Hydro’ in online communications.
“Hydro, I know you have your team. But would you be interested in being the coordinator for the security teams, outside of the PSD, and coordinating with Person Ten (Michael Greene)?” Siekerman wrote. “Thinking that you might be able to use the folks that [Person Ten] doesn’t need for close details and divide into teams at the venues and if we have enough maybe some mobile folks patrolling in between? I know you have the experience and knowledge to make it work!”
On January 3, 2021, Siekerman announced in the “DC OP Jan 6 21” Signal group that James “would be the ‘second’ in command of all the protective security details operating in Washington D.C. on January 5 and 6.”
Siekerman “was made responsible for the security apparatus” for the group, confirmed Mike ‘Whip’ Greene in a series of recent interviews.
Siekerman was tasked with organizing the logistics for Oath keepers coming to Washington, commanding the security teams assigned to VIP speakers, coordinating with organizers at the pro-Trump rallies, and liaison with local law enforcement, according to Oath keepers interviewed, logs of encrypted chat message boards, court filings of Oath keepers arrested and charged for their roles in the insurrection, and FBI documents.
In the August 4th, 2021 5th superseding indictment of the growing number of Oath keepers charged with conspiracy to assault the Capitol, prosecutors wrote “PERSON ONE initially named PERSON NINETEEN and PERSON TEN to be co-leaders of his group’s operations in Washington, D. C. On January 6, but when PERSON NINETEEN became sick shortly before January 6, PERSON ONE named PERSON TEN to be the ‘operations leader.’”
‘Person One’ is a reference to Oath keepers head Stewart Rhodes, himself now jailed after his January, 2022 arrest, awaiting trial on charges of ‘seditious conspiracy’ for his part on January 6, 2021. ‘Person Ten’ refers to Mike ‘Whip’ Greene, who was arrested in June for his role on January 6. ‘Person Nineteen’ refers to Siekerman.
In a series of interviews after his recent arrest, Greene—who also uses the surname ‘Simmons’— confirmed that Siekerman was initially in charge of the ‘ground operations’ and ‘security’ until he contracted the Corona virus on January 3rd. It was after that when Rhodes asked Greene to assume Siekerman’s responsibilities to oversee the “ground security operations and personal security details” for several prominent speakers at the rallies held on January 5th and 6th, such as Roger Stone, January 6 event organizer Ali Alexander, and other VIP’s, including cooperating with security teams protecting former Trump National Security Advisor Gen. Michael Flynn.
Importantly, Siekerman was also tasked with coordinating those bringing weapons, ammunition, and other military gear to January 6, ensuring members were aware of laws regulating weapons possession, and organizing the logistics of storing and securing them in Virginia on the outskirts of the city.
At least 29 Oath keepers are known to have brought firearms on January 6, but most stored them at various locations in Virginia, where it was legal.
On December 31, 2020, James messaged Siekerman and asked, “Do we have a farm location for weapons?” 2021 federal charging papers of James reads.
“Person Nineteen responded, ‘Not that I am aware of yet. If nothing else, my hotel is in VA and has secured underground parking. About 15-20 minutes outside of DC, less if you really don’t care about speed limits…would be great if we had someone with an enclosed truck type vehicle and had a quick response unit just outside the city.’
James replied, ‘I agree.’”
James’ March 2022 plea agreement in which he plead guilty to the most serious charge of ‘seditious conspiracy,’ reads “James brought a semi-automatic handgun, and (Georgia Oath keeper Brian) Ulrich, (Alabamian Mark) Grods, and others brought firearms, including a rifle, a shotgun, a semi-automatic handgun, and ammunition.”
“James stored their firearms at the Virginia hotel where he, Rhodes, Minuta, and others had rooms,” the court documents say.
James, Ulrich, and Grods have all plead guilty, agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against other Oath keepers.
The Vienna, Virginia Hilton Garden Inn is where many of the senior Oath keepers leadership charged for their role in the January 6 assault on the Capitol stayed in rooms booked and paid for by Stewart Rhodes—including, Rhodes, Oath keepers general counsel Kellye SoRelle of Texas, Mike ‘Whip’ Greene of Indiana, two Oath keeper members from Kentucky, Texas resident Robert Minuta, and North Carolinian Todd Wilson.
James also had a room at the Hilton Garden Inn, also booked and paid for by Rhodes, where he stored the Alabama and Georgia contingents weapons, ammunition, and other military gear, while he stayed in another hotel in D.C.
All of these Oath keepers, except SoRelle and the two men from Kentucky, have since been arrested.
Siekerman, who is known to be close to Rhodes, had provided security to high profile VIP speakers at two earlier pro-Trump events in Washington held after Trump’s defeat in the November 3, 2020 presidential elections. He was on the security detail for former Trump National Security advisor Gen. Michael Flynn at the December 12 ‘Stop the Steal’ rally and for conspiracy theorist and talk show host Alex Jones at the November 14 ‘Mega Mega March.’
Siekerman is known to have legally carried a concealed weapon in the two previous Oath keepers events in December and November of 2020 in Washington—one of several former law enforcement officer Oath keeper members known to have been armed inside Washington, D.C. on January 6 and previous D.C. events.
Siekerman was also tasked as the liaison with Washington law enforcement, including the Metropolitan Police Department, to confirm what local laws applied to bringing various kinds of weapons into the city.
A message to members before the December 12, 2020 ‘Stop the Steal’ pro-Trump rally, appealed to members “We will really need as many LEO’s active/retired with LEOSA carry as possible.
”
On January 1, Siekerman advised Oath keepers on D.C. laws for carrying concealed firearms in Washington.
“OK, folks, for all you LEOSA (Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, which allows retired or current police to carry concealed weapons anywhere in the U.S.) qualified retired/active LEO. Just talked to LT who is Watch Commander for 1st district DCPD. He knows of no special specific restrictions on LEOSA carry as far as the city…something to keep in mind is that you MUST follow the magazine limits of ten rounds, but the LT knows of no limits on numbers of mags. If you choose to carry.”
However, hours later, Siekerman updated Oath keeper leaders that bringing guns into the nations capitol might result in arrest.
“OK, folks, for something totally different from the District Commander. This is the email I received: ‘Good afternoon, Don. You cannot carry while engaged in First Amendment activities. We will post warnings advising of such and persons will be subject to arrest and prosecution.’”
“The OKs would routinely determine whether state laws allowed for open or concealed carry and relay this information during conference/planning calls,” reads a May 5, 2021 FBI document synopsizing an interview with Mike Greene. “Regarding January 5 and 6, 2021, Person 10 was unsure who from the OKs made contact with LE in Washington, D.C., however assumed Don Siekerman made this contact as Siekerman was initially in charge of the security detail.”
Oath keepers Signal messaging chat sites used to plan for January 6, FBI interviews of charged Oath keepers, and court filings, detail Siekerman’s role as head of Oath keepers security operations for the January 2021 Capitol events.
Immediately after Rhodes appointed Siekerman on December 30 in charge of the Oath keepers participation in the pro-Trump rallies that drew hundreds of thousands to the nation’s capitol, Siekerman was put in charge of the “Leadership Signal Group, the Oath keepers encrypted, by-invitation-only online messaging chat site where members gathered to organize and plan for the January insurrection.
“OK guys. I will attempt to set up a call with everyone tomorrow night. I need to get some details together for the agenda on the 5th and 6th, so we can better discuss how to set things up,” Siekerman wrote on the Signal message site for Oath keeper leaders on December 30. “…could everyone with a group coming let me know the group, approximately how many people you are bringing, appropriate time/date you will be in DC, and any specialists in your group (medics, recon folks, etc.”
“This will be for leadership only on call,” he added.
“Person 10 (Greene) advised (Siekerman—name redacted) was supposed to run the security detail on January 5 and 6, 2021, however could not because he fell ill,” reads a May 2021 FBI interview with Greene.
In recent interviews, Greene confirmed he was referring to Siekerman. “That is Siekerman,” he said of the blacked out name in the FBI transcript of his interview.
“Siekerman was head of the security apparatus for January 5th and 6th,” Greene recalled.
Greene’s federal indictment says Rhodes “named Person Ten and Person Nineteen to lead activities,” but Siekerman "became sick shortly before January 6" and left Greene as "sole operations leader.”
Siekerman was also named to organize the gathering of intelligence for the January 6 operation. “We need strong intel for this op,” wrote Rhodes on December 31. “Whoever wants on that intel team, get with Don.”
On January 4, Siekerman spoke of heading a ‘Tactical Operation Center’ for the Oath keepers January 5th and 6th located near the crowds gathered near the stages where speakers were located.
In the wake of January 6 and after several arrests of Oath keepers had been made, in a March 11, 2021 post on the Oath keepers website, Rhodes cited Siekerman as having been the “National Lead” for January 6.
“HEADS UP! We are in a legal fight right now, against the deep state and their Marxist allies, who are repeating the exact same gameplay as the Gestapo and KGB. We are being subjected to a Stalinistic purge/persecution campaign against patriots, and we are enemy number one. Just recognize that reality,” Rhodes wrote on March 11, 2021, prior to his own arrest. “Myself and our national team leaders, Mike “Whip” and Don Siekerman, will serve as witnesses for any of the defense teams that are already defending our members who have been arrested. Our General Counsel, Kellye SoRelle, was with us in DC and is also willing to serve as a witness.”
Internal Oath keepers membership records obtained and made public by the Unicorn Riot independent media collective in November 2020 show Siekerman has been a member of the organization since at least July 2017.
Greene painted a portrait of a disorganized leadership in the run up to January 6, with national and regional leaders not communicating with each other, members who said they would be in Washington but never showed up, and state chapters that didn’t follow instructions.
Greene, who makes his living as a private security contractor and providing armed personal ‘executive protection’ to clients, is not a member of the Oath keepers. Rhodes paid him for each of the several Oath keepers events he was hired to work, including Oath keeper events in Louisville, Kentucky, Atlanta, Georgia, Detroit Michigan, and three events in Washington, D.C. after the November 2020 presidential elections.
“That is what I do, how I make my living,” Greene said. “Rhodes even sent a 1099 form that named one company I was working for doing security contracting.”
On January 1, 2021, also on the Signal Leadership Chat, Stewart Rhodes reconfirmed Siekerman was the ‘overall Oath keepers Op lead’ for January 6. “Don Siekerman and Whip…are the overall Oath Keepers Op leads for this one,” Rhodes messaged other Oath keepers leaders. “…Don and Whip are overall leaders and coordinating all the many moving parts.”
When Rhodes announced to the general Oath keepers membership over the groups encrypted Signal planning messaging platforms on December 30 and again on January 1, that Greene was appointed to assist Siekerman in running the security operations for January 5th and 6th, Greene said that Rhodes had not yet contacted him.
“Rhodes didn’t call me to ask me to work the event until January 2,” Greene recalled. “That is Rhodes. He hadn’t even contacted me yet before he announced it.”
According to Greene, on January 2cd, the Oath keepers leader called Greene at his Indiana home and “asked me if I would come and help Siekerman set up close executive protection security teams for some VIP speakers on January 5th and 6th. That was the first I had heard of anything going on in D.C. January 6.”
“I talked to Siekerman several times because I was supposed to help him put together the executive protection details for VIP speakers like Roger Stone and Ali Alexander. It was the next day, on the 3rd that Siekerman told us he was sick. I talked to him that day and afterwards,” Greene recalled.
“So Rhodes and me knew by the 3rd Siekerman probably wasn’t going to make it to D.C., but Rhodes didn’t tell anyone until the day of the events.”
“That night we had a phone conference meeting of state and national leaders to see who was doing what and see how many people were going to show up so we could make sure we had enough people for the security teams and stage protection for the VIP speakers. It was clear that half these people weren’t going to show up.”
“I said to myself ‘OK, let me get accountability for my team and figure out who I can rely on to show up. Half of them didn’t show up in Washington.”
The following morning of January 4th, Greene left his Indiana home and drove to D.C., arriving on the evening of the 4th and checked into the Hilton Garden Inn in Vienna, Virginia where Rhodes had booked and paid for rooms for him and other leaders of the Oath keepers operation, including Siekerman.
Ultimately, “We had no QRF (Quick Reaction Force) because I knew we didn’t have enough people. And we wouldn’t have been able to get vehicles into D.C.,” Greene said. “So, on the 4th, we decided against it. National (Oath keepers) had no QRF, but we knew some of the state chapter like Josh (James from Alabama) and Kelly Meggs (of Florida) were doing their own thing.”
But Oath keeper head Rhodes continued to announce that there would be armed units stationed outside Washington, ready deploy if called upon.
On January 2, Rhodes messaged Meggs on Signal, “If you want to stow weapons with [the operation leader] you can. He’ll have a secure car trunk or his hotel room (or mine)." Meggs responded, “Last night call... we discussed a QRF RP so we may do that.”
Rhodes responded, “Ok. We WILL have a QRF. This situation calls for it.”
On January 4, Rhodes messaged “As we have done on all recent DC Ops, we will also have well armed and equipped QRF teams on standby, outside DC, in the event of a worst case scenario, where the President calls us up as part of the militia to to assist him inside DC,” Rhodes informed Oath keeper state and regional leaders.
On the morning of January 6, 2021, Rhodes reiterated in the “DC OP: Jan 6 21” Signal chat: “We will have several well equipped QRFs outside DC. And there are many, many others, from other groups, who will be watching and waiting on the outside in case of worst case scenarios.”
Ultimately, Siekerman never arrived in D.C. after he was stricken with Covid-19, but it wasn’t until the early morning of January 6, hours before the violence erupted that day, that Oath keeper members were informed by Rhodes that Siekerman would not be present due to “the flu.”
“Person 10 and PERSON ONE knew prior to the January 6, 2021 announcement of his illness,” reads an FBI ‘302’ document memorializing a May 2021 interview with Greene. “However the morning of January 6, 2021 was just when Rhodes notified members of the group.”
“Heads up. In case you don't already know, Don Siekerman is sick with the flu and wont be in DC,” Rhodes posted at 6:30 am January 6 on the Oath keepers Signal Leadership chat. “Whip is now in charge of op.”
In an exchange of recent text messages, Siekerman confirmed he was appointed head of the ground operations for the Oath keepers for the January 2021 insurrection, but declined to further detail his role as a top Oath keepers leader, citing continuing health issues resulting from contracting the Corona virus.
It was on January 3 that Siekerman told Rhodes he had tested positive for the Covid-19 virus and he was very sick and unlikely to be able to travel to Washington.
Rhodes put the stricken Siekerman in contact with Dr. Simone Gold, a Beverly Hills founder of America’s Frontline Doctors, a prominent voice in Covid-19 denial, anti-vaccine proponent, and known for promoting debunked ‘magical cures’ such as the antibiotic malaria drug, hydrochloroquine, as a cure for Covid-19.
Gold stands widely accused of being a fraud and medical huckster—a modern day equivalent of a snake oil salesman. At the height of the Covid pandemic, she set up an online pill mill that marketed debunked ‘miracle cures’ for the virus.
Her Amarican Front Line Doctors (AFLDS) created a website, whose domain was bought by the Tea Party Patriots. When Gold was arrested for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection, emails to supporters appealed for “urgent and generous donations to withstand such aggressive assaults from the ruthless enemies of free speech” and raised more than $400,000 for Gold’s legal defense.
Her American Front Line Doctors website made more than $15 million selling hydrochloroquine and other pills in less than a year in 2020 and 2021. At the same time she applied for and received more than $150,000 in federal PPP loans given to businesses affected by the virus.
When he contracted Covid-19, Siekerman was in charge of organizing stage security for Gold, who was a speaker at a "Stop the Steal" rally organized by conspiracy theorist and uber Trump supporter, Ali Alexander, at Freedom Plaza on January 5.
Alexander introduced Gold at a Washington rally as fighting against "medical tyranny" and Gold told the crowd "If you don't want to take an experimental biological agent deceptively named a vaccine, you must not allow yourself to be coerced!”
Rhodes told Siekerman she had a miracle cure for Covid and gave him details on how to contact her America’s Frontline Doctors over the internet where AFLDS would send prescribe Hydrochloroquine and vitamins for a fee and have them mailed to your home.
In the hours immediately after the insurrection was quelled on January 6, Siekerman messaged other Oath keepers leaders:
“To my brothers and sisters. My heart is heavy that I could not be there with you. You showed bravery and the warrior spirit,” Siekerman wrote on the Signal Leadership Chat message board at 7:40 pm on January 6. “I am still down but improving thanks to Stewart’s recommendation on the doc to call. After starting Hydrochloroqine and associated meds 36 hours ago, I am already starting to show improvement! Thanks Stewart!!! If not for you, this 68-year old with type 2 diabetes may not have been around! Stay safe all!!! Time to put my head back down.”
When interviewed 18 months later, Siekerman contended the Covid-19 virus continued to wreak havoc on his health.
“My health is not good,” he said. “Even if I spoke with you, I’m not sure I remember a lot. Ever since I got sick my memory is very bad,” the then 68-year old contended.
Siekerman said he was still suffering from acute symptoms of ‘long term Covid’ which has left him fatigued and affected his memory, among other symptoms.
Siekerman’s 25-year career with the Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (population 8,890) police department appeared to be relatively uneventful. The only news reference to him found is a 1997 article of a citizen sending him “a thank-you card and box of mixed chocolates from a woman he had cited” for “going 45 mph in a 25 mph zone three days earlier.”
While “he wrote the speeding citation, he noticed her 3-year-old daughter in a car seat. Since it was car seat safety week, Siekerman gave the little girl a stuffed elephant.”
Whether Siekerman will become another Oath keeper arrested for his role on January 6 remains unclear.
What is more clear is following the advise of Stewart Rhodes has upended his life and put his health and future freedom in jeopardy.