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A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Simone Gold, the founder of America’s Frontline Doctors, to 60 days in prison for entering the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021 attack, accusing her of using her legal issues to lift it. $ 430,000 for her and her organization.
U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper said Gold, who pleaded guilty in March, did not show remorse or accept responsibility for his actions during the riot. She noted that she had stated in an interview with The Washington Post that “where she was was incredibly quiet,” when the video showed the emergency doctor and Stanford-trained lawyer doing nothing while a crowd with her was dragging. a ground police officer. .
The judge also called it “bad service to the real victims that day” that Gold had given his followers the “bad impression” that she was being politically persecuted for giving a speech. and raised $ 430,000 for his personal and organizational expenses.
“January 6 dealt with a lot of things, but it wasn’t about the First Amendment, and it certainly wasn’t about treatment or vaccines against covid,” Cooper said.
“I find it inappropriate for your organization to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for its operations, including your salary,” he later added, claiming that gold was generating money “by misrepresenting what this procedure is all about. “.
“People need to know that this is not acceptable,” the judge said. “It’s not about that process.”
Simone Gold, a prominent advocate of hydroxychloroquine, was inside the Capitol on January 6th
In a shaky voice, Gold told the judge he was “surprised” that prosecutors believed he had no remorse and that he had no intention of participating “in such a destructive situation for our nation.”
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have gone in,” Gold said.
Waterproof, the judge noted that he had heard more about how the case had restricted Gold’s travels than those affected by the riots.
“I’ve heard a lot about how you’re not able to fly,” Cooper said, “but I haven’t heard anything about the five people who died. The four people who committed suicide later. Or the employees.” closed for fear for their safety.
Golden Lawyer Dickson J. Young had sought a community medical service conviction, saying his client did not commit or incite violence.
“With the exception of seeing the window broken and seeing the officer shot by a person other than herself on the east side of the Capitol, she just walked in the door,” Young said.
Young tried to distance himself from Gold’s fundraising. He said his legal expenses were not close to the $ 430,000 he raised for his alleged legal defense and that he paid them out of pocket. His fundraising presentation said the unused money would go to his organization.
The juvenile offender Gold was sentenced to up to one year in prison, although federal sentencing guidelines called for a zero-to-six-month sentence.
Some 70 of the 175 people convicted of misdemeanors in the January 6 riot have been sentenced to prison; the average term is about 44 days.
Prosecutors April Ayers-Perez and Jason M. Manning asked Cooper to sentence Gold to 90 days in prison, and the court filing office, in a strange move, recommended six months. Both of us said Gold’s behavior was extreme for Capitol breach intruders, because he helped direct and promote the chaos of that day, ignored police orders to leave, and delivered speeches on the way out.
“The defendant has shown no remorse. He has not accepted responsibility for his conduct … which has remained constant over time,” Ayers-Perez said. “He has continued to downplay and reduce his liability and criminal conduct all the time.”
The January 6 insurrection
The select committee of the House investigating the January 6, 2021 uprising is holding its third high-profile hearing this month. Find the last one here.
Congress Hearings: The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol has conducted more than 1,000 interviews over the past year. He will share his findings in a series of hearings starting June 9th. Here’s what we know about audiences and how to view them.
The riot: On January 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mafia stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop certification of the results of the 2020 election. Five people died that day or immediately after, and 140 police officers were killed. attacked.
Inside the siege: During the riot, insurgents came dangerously close to entering the building’s inner shrines while lawmakers were still there, including former Vice President Mike Pence. The Washington Post examined text messages, photos, and videos to create a video timeline of what happened on January 6th.
Charges: Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four lieutenants have been charged with sedition conspiracy, joining Oathkeepers leader Stewart Rhodes and some two dozen associates to be charged with their involvement in the attack on the Capitol. Only a few hundred were charged, many of whom received substantially lighter punishments than the government demanded.