A woman who worked for multiple members of Congress after the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol has been charged with participating in the breach.
Isabella DeLuca was arrested in Irvine, California on March 15 on charges of theft of government property, parading in a Capitol building, and disorderly conduct in a restricted building and in the Capitol, according to court documents that were unsealed on Monday.
Ms. DeLuca later posted on social media that she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
She faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
Ms. DeLuca became an intern for then-Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) in April 2021, according to archived screenshots of her LinkedIn profile. Ms. DeLuca was employed by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) from 2022 through early 2023, according to congressional salary records.
Ms. DeLuca later went on to work as a media associate for The Gold Institute for International Strategy.
A spokesperson for the institute told the Associated Press that the organization learned on Monday that Ms. DeLuca was charged.
“Following further internal investigation, we felt it necessary to sever our relationship,” the spokesperson said.
Ms. DeLuca wrote on X after the charges were unsealed, “Thank you everyone for all the kind messages and the support.” She asked for donations to cover her legal defense.
Mr. Zeldin did not respond to a request for comment.
Tip
The FBI first received a tip on Jan. 9, 2021, about Ms. DeLuca being part of the breach, and interviewed her on Jan. 21, 2021. Ms. DeLuca and her mother, who also spoke to the FBI that day, said Ms. DeLuca was at the Capitol but did not enter the building, according to the FBI.Bank records obtained by the FBI showed Ms. DeLuca paid for a train ticket to Washington on Jan. 5 and stayed at a hotel room in Alexandria, Virginia. Her credit card showed purchases in Washington on Jan. 6 within two miles of the Capitol.
The FBI in 2022 obtained a search warrant for Ms. DeLuca’s Instagram account, which showed her asking for a ride from Baltimore, Maryland after the train broke down and that she got one to Alexandria on early Jan. 6, 2021.
Messages, Posts
Ms. DeLuca posted on Twitter on Jan. 6, 2021, at 2:55 p.m., “Fight back or let politicians steal and [sic] election? Fight back!”She told another Instagram user shortly after that she was heading to the Capitol.
After the events captured by video, other Instagram messages obtained by the FBI showed Ms. DeLuca wrote in messages that “it’s insanity here” and “I got maced and had a sound bomb go off right next to me.” Early the next day, she wrote in another message that the reason she supported breaching the Capitol was, “According to the Constitution, it’s our house.”
“I was there on Jan. 6. I have mixed feelings. People went to the Capitol building because that’s Our House and that’s where we go to take our grievances. People feel, as do I that an election was stolen from them and it was allowed,” she added in a Jan. 14, 2021, social media post.
Ms. DeLuca later deleted many Instagram posts from on and around Jan. 6, 2021, according to the FBI. “Based on my knowledge, training, and experience, people who commit criminal acts will often delete information about those acts from social media accounts in an attempt to thwart any subsequent criminal investigation,” an FBI agent wrote in a filing.
