A Colorado woman who identifies herself on social media as #J6prayingrandma has been convicted of participating in the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Rebecca Lavrenz, a bed-and-breakfast owner from Falcon, has been very public about how she entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“I was right on the east side of the Capitol. I just felt in my spirit that, if those doors open, I would go in,” Lavrenz told talk radio host Chaim Goldman last month on the Colorado Springs station, The Answer. “The barriers went down. I didn't push 'em over, but they went down. (I) walked up through the plaza, up the steps and entered the Capitol for 10 minutes, walked out. I didn't do anything but make my presence known and carry God's presence into that building.”
FBI agents identified Lavrenz on video from inside the capitol, in part, due to her distinctive headgear: a white knit beanie topped with a headband sporting two ‘Uncle Sam’ top hats.
While many January 6 defendants have pled guilty to lesser charges, Lavrenz said on the radio program that God told her not to accept a plea bargain. Instead, she went on trial late last month in Washington, D.C.
“I am not here to stay out of jail,” she said, “I'm here to win our country back.”
After several days of deliberation, the jury convicted Lavernz on all four of the federal misdemeanors she was charged with entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
She is awaiting sentencing. So far, nearly 20 Coloradans have been arrested for participating in the January 6 riot. Several have been convicted of violent felonies and are now serving multi-year sentences.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the radio show Lavrenz appeared on; it was The Peak News, hosted by Chaim Goldman, on KZNT - The Answer.
