Topline
A woman who once boasted she wouldn’t get jail time for taking part in the January 6 riots because she has “blonde hair, white skin, a great job [and] a great future,” was sentenced to two months in prison Thursday after prosecutors said she showed a lack of remorse.
Key Facts
Jenna Ryan, who works as a real estate agent in Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, went viral on social media earlier this year after posting pictures and videos of herself and friends inside the U.S. Capitol amid the riot, after flying to Washington, D.C., on a chartered jet.
In March, after she surrendered to authorities and was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, she posted to Twitter that she would not go to jail because of her race and career, adding that she “did nothing wrong.”
While other riot participants were charged with the same misdemeanors as Ryan and only received probation or house arrest, prosecutors said they pursued jail time for Ryan because of her lack of remorse and her failure to recognize the seriousness of her actions, according to the Associated Press.
Ryan denied that she believed she would not be punished, according to the news agency, saying her lawyer told her prosecutors would recommend probation for her sentence.
She is expected to begin serving her sentence in January.
Key Background
More than 650 people have been charged with taking part in the Capitol siege, but Ryan is only the tenth person to receive prison time, according to the Associated Press. She pleaded guilty in August as part of a deal with prosecutors. The Department of Justice is still actively looking to identify and arrest participants in the riots, which resulted in five deaths and $1.5 million in damage to the Capitol grounds. Since then, four Capitol Police officers who were at the scene have committed suicide.
Further Reading
Rioter who bragged she wouldn’t go to jail gets prison term (Associated Press)
