Assault on the Capitol: lawyer does not see good future for Trump 1:01
(CNN) -
A federal judge sentenced a U.S. Capitol aggressor who brought her teenage son to Washington on January 6, 2021, to three months behind bars for illegally parading in the building.
The 90-day sentence is one of the longest sentences the January 6 defendants have received for this non-violent misdemeanor.
Before sentencing, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly reprimanded Virginia Spencer for taking her son and questioned whether she had accepted responsibility for her role in the insurrection.
"This is not like a school or a tourist trip," Kollar-Kotelly said.
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The sentence includes a three-year probation period, which other federal judges have avoided combining with prison time for misdemeanor sentences.
According to court documents, while inside the Capitol, Spencer - who was wearing a sweatshirt with the words "F ** k Gun Control" on the back - entered the offices assigned to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and he joined a "crowd that formed outside the House of Representatives and tried to enter that building while the congressmen were still trapped inside."
Spencer, who pleaded guilty in September, told Kollar-Kotelly that she was "very sorry" for her actions that day.
Her husband, Christopher Spencer, has pleaded not guilty to several charges related to the Capitol riots.
It is unclear when his case will go to trial or if there will be a plea agreement beforehand.
The name of the 14-year-old was not released by the government.
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Before handing down his sentence, Kollar-Kotelly said he found it "very difficult to understand ... why he would take a son under the age of 14 to the Capitol," adding that he showed a "lack of judgment."
"The police had guns, some of the [agitators] had guns," the judge said.
"This is not like a school or a tourist trip ... I don't understand, but I sincerely hope it's okay," Kollar-Kotelly continued, suggesting that it might have been "traumatic" for the boy.
More than 725 people have been arrested in connection with the assault on the Capitol, according to the FBI, with more than 70 sentenced so far and more than 30 incarcerated.
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Assault on the Capitol
