Since the January 6, 2021, United States Capitol attack occurred, more than 650 supporters have been charged with taking part in the siege. One of the participants, Jenna Ryan, is only the tenth person to receive prison time, according to the associated press.
Ryan, who works as a real estate agent in Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, after going viral on social media earlier this year after posting pictures and videos of herself and friends inside the U.S. Capitol amid the riot, after flying to Washington, D.C., on a chartered jet, as reported by Forbes.
She also posted on Twitter that she would not go to jail for taking part in the riots because she has “blonde hair, white skin, a great job [and] a great future,” adding that she “did nothing wrong.”
Other riot participants who were only charged with misdemeanors like Ryan, only received probation or house arrest, while on Thursday, Ryan was sentenced to two months in prison, after prosecutors said they pursued jail time because of her lack of remorse and her failure to recognize the seriousness of her actions, according to the Associated Press.
Judge Christopher Cooper emphasized that Ryan was prosecuted for her actions inside the Capitol and not her political beliefs.
“Your case has generated a fair amount of public interest,” Cooper said. “And as a result, people will be interested to know what sentence you get. That sentence will tell them something about how the courts and how our country responded. And I think that the sentence should tell them that we take it seriously … and that it should never happen again.”
She is expected to begin serving her sentence in January and is required to pay $1,500 in fines to the Architect of the Capitol.
