71-Year Old Grandmother Convicted for Entering Capitol on Jan. 6

Pro-Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Following three days of deliberations, a federal jury late Thursday afternoon convicted a 71-year-old grandmother on four criminal counts for spending 10 minutes inside the U.S. Capitol on the day of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach.

Rebecca Lavrenz was captured on video surveillance entering the Capitol building through the East Rotunda doors, walking around the building, and speaking briefly with a police officer before exiting the building. She faces a year in jail and more than $200,000 in fines.

Her sentencing is slated for Aug. 12.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ) complaint against her, Ms. Lavrenz volunteered photos of herself at the Capitol on the day of the breach to FBI agents. The complaint says the Falcon, Colorado, resident “admitted traveling to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021 to attend the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally on the mall and ‘following the crowd to the U.S. Capitol building.’”

In its statement of facts against Ms. Lavrenz, the DOJ says the grandmother of seven entered the building despite seeing physical barriers “indicating the U.S. Capitol building grounds were a restricted area.” It also reports that she “observed people getting into physical confrontations with police” and that she “saw a woman get injured in the exchange.” The DOJ said video evidence confirmed Ms. Lavrenz’s statement that she was inside the building for only 10 minutes.

She was found guilty of four federal misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

‘Treating Me Like a Criminal’

A few days before the start of her trial, Ms. Lavrenz posted a teary video of herself online as she entered the Capitol grounds for the first time since Jan. 6.

“My own country is treating me like a criminal just because I believe that my—they stole my rightful president, and just standing up for my country makes me a criminal,” she said. “It’s not right. It feels so weird to be here.”

She has stated in social media posts that she went to the Capitol to pray and stand up for her country.

A retired register nurse, Ms. Lavrenz also owns and operates a bed and breakfast near the Rocky Mountains in Falcon, Colorado.

According to social media posts by Ms. Lavrenz, she was on the stand for nearly five hours on the final day of her trial, which she pointed out was Good Friday, a sacred part of the Lenten period of Easter for Christians.

She has become a notable figure under her X username @J6prayinggrandma, and her profile page includes a photo of her with former President Donald Trump.

She has set up a GiveSendGo crowdfunding page to help pay for her legal bills and as of Friday had received over $50,000 in donations.

In another video she posted during her trial, Ms. Lavrenz is shown standing in front of the National Monument to the Forefathers, an 81-foot granite statue in Plymouth, Massachusetts, dedicated to the pilgrims who established the first colonies.

“I’m in Plymouth, Massachusetts, standing right beside this national monument to our forefathers, those pilgrims that came over to this land over 400 years ago to make a covenant with God that this land would be for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith,” she said. “Three years ago I drove 25 hours because I believed in this covenant, and now I am on trial to defend that covenant.”

Questions About FBI Agents in Crowd

Ms. Lavrenz provided updates about her case throughout her trial on her website, Restoring Godly Culture.

Following her conviction, she told The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that she was surprised by the verdict.

“I believe God wanted it to turn out this way so my voice could be amplified,” she told The Gazette. “We have to wake up our country.”

Ms. Lavrenz also has pictures of herself posted on X with some of her grandchildren. She has been openly critical of the prosecution and conviction of other Jan. 6 protesters.

In another X post, she shared a redacted FBI report and a video she says shows three plain-clothed FBI agents in the exact spot she had been standing.

“Government is refusing to provide the unredacted 302 report, electronic recordings, or identities of two of the FBI agents,” she wrote.

According to a recent DOJ report, federal authorities have arrested more than 1,265 individuals on charges they participated in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol, and 718 have pleaded guilty to a variety of federal charges.

About 452 have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or capitol employees, and approximately 123 have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

President Trump, who is seeking reelection to the White House, has been charged with obstruction and conspiracy in relation to the events of Jan. 6, but the trial is on hold until the Supreme Court can consider the former president’s claim of presidential immunity from prosecution.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on April 25.