If a higher instance had forbidden it.
They have not put them in jail for that reason, they have put them for stealing to mount it and mount it outside the law (it was done without economic transparency) I do not remember the penalties or if there were any but they are less clear.
The ones that you say have gotten 20 years are really 12 years for the one who seditions the most.
What are the crimes of rebellion and sedition and how are they punished?
crime of “rebellion against the authority of the United States or its laws” is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in jail and disqualification from public office, while the maximum punishment for persons who "conspire to overthrow the Government of States United "will not exceed 20 years in jail
