Nov 4, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Jan. 6 rioter who bragged that she would not go to jail gets sentenced

Erin Doherty

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6. Photo: Brent Stirton/Getty Images

A real estate agent from Frisco, Texas, who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — and later said on social media that she would not be arrested because she is white, has blond hair and a good job — was sentenced Thursday to two months in prison, AP reports.

Driving the news: Prosecutors alleged that Jennifer Leigh Ryan demonstrated a lack of candor and remorse for her participation in the insurrection and did not understand the seriousness of her crime, per AP.

"Your actions since Jan. 6 make me doubt some of those things," U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said of Ryan's apology.

The big picture: Prosecutors said that Ryan traveled to D.C. on a chartered jet, livestreamed her entry into the Capitol, and posted photos of herself on social media next to broken windows.

Ryan's lawyers argued that she was in the Capitol for two minutes, was not violent and was exercising her First Amendment right to speak on social media.
Ryan on March 26 wrote on Twitter: "Definitely not going to jail. Sorry I have blonde hair white skin a great job a great future and I’m not going to jail. Sorry to rain on your hater parade. I did nothing wrong."

Ryan said in court that she was responding to people who called for her arrest. "I was attacked and I was answering them," she said.

What's next: Ryan is expected to begin serving her sentence in January.

Go deeper: Alleged Capitol rioter sent back to jail after watching conspiracy theory event

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Jan. 6 rioter who bragged that she would not go to jail gets sentenced

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