A California doctor who is a prominent figure in the vaccine movement was sentenced Thursday to two months in prison for assaulting the U.S. Capitol, where she delivered speeches to rioters during the mob attack.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., also sentenced Dr. Simone Gold to 12 months of supervised release after her 60-day prison sentence and sentenced her to pay a $ 9,500 fine. He may appear in jail on a date to be determined.
Gold, a former emergency room doctor, said she deeply regretted entering the Capitol during the riots of January 6, 2021 and that she had no intention of getting involved in an event that was “so destructive to in our nation. “
“It’s the opposite of who I am,” he told Cooper.
Gold founded America’s Frontline Doctors. a group known to provide misinformation about COVID-19. The Beverly Hills-based doctor, a graduate of Stanford Law School, has more than 480,000 followers on Twitter. It has condemned the confinement of COVID-19 and promoted the use of untested and potentially dangerous drugs as treatments for coronavirus.
The judge told Gold that his vaccine activism was not a factor in his conviction. Cooper said Gold was not a “casual spectator” on Jan. 6.
The judge also said Gold’s organization had deceived his followers into believing that his prosecution was politically motivated and was violating his rights to free speech. Cooper called it “indecent” that America’s top doctors have invoked the Capitol riot to raise money, including for his salary.
“I think this is a real weak favor for the real victims of that day,” he said.
Gold pleaded guilty in March to entering and remaining in a restricted building, a misdemeanor offense that carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
More than 800 people have been charged with federal offenses related to riots on the Capitol. More than 300 of them have pleaded guilty, most of them misdemeanors, and nearly 200 have been convicted.
After the riot, Gold told The Washington Post that he followed a crowd to the Capitol, that he witnessed no violence and did not think he was breaking any law.
“I can definitely talk where I was and most of all, it wasn’t a riot,” he said. “Where I was I was incredibly quiet.”
But prosecutors say she entered the Capitol immediately after a police officer was assaulted and dragged to the ground in front of her. Gold also joined a crowd trying to enter the House of Commons and then ignored police orders to leave Statuary Hall so he could finish delivering a speech, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors had recommended 90 days in prison, one year of supervised release and 60 hours of community service for Gold.
Gold spent two days in jail after his arrest in January 2021. His lawyers had sought a full-time sentence and 60 hours of community service. Gold agreed to pay $ 500 in restitution.
Prosecutors said Gold has shown no remorse or responsibility for his actions. She was accused of trying to take advantage of her crime, saying America’s top doctors have raised more than $ 430,000 through her website for her legal expenses.
“He believes that Gold could have incurred about $ 430,000 in costs for his criminal defense: after all, he pleaded guilty to indisputable and easily identifiable evidence, without filing a motion,” prosecutors wrote in a court document.
Defense attorney Dickson Young said Gold has paid his lawyers “out of pocket.” Young said America’s top doctors have been left with the money given.
Gold told the Post he had traveled to Washington to speak at a “Rally for Health Freedom” on the east side of the Capitol on the afternoon of Jan. 6.
Gold was charged with John Strand, the communications director of America’s Frontline Doctors. Prosecutors also described him as Gold’s boyfriend.
Strand has again pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to stand trial on July 18. Prosecutors say Strand turned down his offer of a guilty plea deal.
Strand was filming while Gold was giving a speech at Statuary Hall about his opposition to coronavirus vaccine warrants and government-imposed blockades. After police heard her outside the Statue Hall, Gold delivered another speech at the roundabout using a mechanic while standing on a statue of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Gold and Strand spent nearly an hour inside the Capitol before leaving.
The California Medical Board database shows that Gold is still licensed to practice medicine in the state. However, Gold’s lawyers say the board sent him a letter threatening to revoke his medical license for “a case of misinformation”.
“My reputation has been completely shattered,” Gold said Thursday.
Gold moved from California to Naples, Florida, after his arrest. Defense attorney Kira West said Gold has received threats and is traveling with a bodyguard.