A 72-year-old Colorado bed-and-breakfast owner, known online as the “J6 praying grandma,” is vowing to appeal after she was ordered to pay a fine of roughly $100,000 and serve a sentence of six months of home confinement for her role in the Capitol riot .
Despite prosecutors pushing for 10 months in prison, a federal judge opted to sentence Colorado resident Rebecca Lavrenz on Monday to home confinement, citing an apparent need to curb her "profiting" from the incident through various media appearances. She was previously convicted by a 12-member jury on April 9 of three felonies related to the riot, including "disorderly" conduct in and around the Capitol complex on Jan. 6, 2021.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said Lavrenz undermined public trust in the justice system with her comments about the Jan. 6 prosecutions. He acknowledged that her case was less severe but stressed that it was nevertheless a serious offense. Although Faruqui decided against jail time, he imposed a $103,000 fine, suggesting she should be punished for fundraising off of her conviction.
Lavrenz has raised over $230,000 through crowdfunding, much of which has been used for legal expenses and a speaking tour. Her attorney Roger Roots told the Washington Examiner she plans to appeal both the home confinement sentence and the fine, noting the magistrate judge's decision "basically seized her money to appeal the case."
The elderly defendant additionally faces a six-month bar on accessing the internet following this sentence, which Roots said essentially functions as a "gag order" and prevents her from raising funds for the appeal.
When asked how much the home confinement sentence would affect her bed-and-breakfast business, Roots said that "it does limit her a lot."
"Because her daughter has to more or less manage the business now, because [Lavrenz] will essentially be on house arrest, and she won't be able to leave the house to do the basic errands and chores and things," Roots added.
Prosecutors accused Lavrenz of spreading misinformation about the Capitol riot and her involvement. During her trial, prosecutors said she was searching for members of Congress and argued her intent was to disrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory over former President Donald Trump.
Lavrenz, who has gained support from Trump, has defended her actions as being driven by religious conviction, saying she went to the Capitol to pray for the country. Her attorney John Pierce argued for probation without imprisonment, emphasizing her nonviolent conduct. After sentencing, Pierce expressed relief at avoiding jail but announced plans to appeal the conviction, criticizing the substantial fine, according to the Associated Press.
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Lavrenz is one of more than 1,400 people who have been charged in connection with the Capitol riot, with many receiving varying sentences for their actions.
A California man was handed the second-longest sentence of any defendant from that day after a judge ordered him to serve 20 years in prison for attacking police officers with flagpoles and other items.
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