Gracyn Courtright entered into a plea agreement after entering the U.S. Capitol during Jan. 6's riot. (Photo by U.S. Attorney's Office
As part of a plea agreement, a college student who boasted about her participation at the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol via social media and took a Members Only sign while walking through the building swiped it. She pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor.
Gracyn Courtright, an American woman who was a senior at University of Kentucky in January from West Virginia, pleaded guilty to the following: unlawfully and knowingly entering and remaining on restricted grounds or buildings. The defense and prosecution agreed to Courtright's sentencing guidelines of between zero and six month imprisonment as part of the plea deal. The government will ask that Courtright's four other charges be dropped following her sentencing.
Courtright pleaded guilty to a videoconference court hearing. She sounded very emotional and said she was shaking.
Courtright was detained on Jan. 19, one day before Joe Biden's presidential inauguration, and the last day of Donald Trumps presidency. Courtright wrote in a series of social media posts and messages that were revealed in her FBI affidavit that she couldn't wait to tell her grandkids that she was here!, that Infamy was just as good and as famous, and that she didn't understand the significance of it all.
Courtright wrote one message saying that I thought it was cool. I don't know what treason means... i am not embarrassed...
According to the statement of offense, Courtright was seen crossing broken glass to enter the Capitol. She was also surrounded by people trying break into locked doors. The statement of offense also mentions that Courtright was seen carrying a Members Only sign up the steps to the Senate Chambers. A law enforcement officer approached Courtright and asked her to give him the sign.
Courtright carrying a
The defendant knew that she didn't have permission to enter U.S. Capitol Building. Therefore, the defendant entered and remained inside a restricted building.
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Sentence was set for November 16 by Judge Christopher R. Cooper. The sentencing will take place in person, but Courtrights lawyer pointed out that Courtright's family has not been vaccinated with COVID-19 and does not plan to. Judge Cooper asked Courtright if her vaccination status would change between now & sentencing. Courtright replied that it wouldn't.
On Jan. 6, nearly 600 defendants were arrested. There are hundreds more cases being investigated by the FBI. Federal authorities originally estimated that 800 people had entered the Capitol Jan. 6. However, sedition hunters who claim to be sedition hunters have identified more people than 1,700 who they said they saw inside the building Jan. 6. This means that the potential universe of defendants who unlawfully entered or assaulted law enforcement officers outside the Capitol is likely to exceed 2,000.
This article was originally published on HuffPost. It has since been updated.
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