A federal jury found a Falcon woman guilty of breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6., 2021, during the riot to disrupt the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Rebecca Lavrenz, known on social media as “J6 Praying Grandma,” was convicted on charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct inside a restricted building, disorderly conduct in the Capitol and parading or picketing in the Capitol, federal court records show. All four counts against her were misdemeanors.
The trial began March 25 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. A 12-person jury deliberated for three days before returning the verdict.
Lavrenz, a 71-year-old great-grandmother and owner of a bed-and-breakfast northeast of Colorado Springs, told The Gazette that she had no regrets about storming the Capitol and that she was on a God-driven mission.
“I felt I was there on assignment from God,” she told the Colorado Springs newspaper during a phone interview before her trial began.
Lavrenz plans to appeal the jury’s verdict, her lawyer, Roger Roots, told The Colorado Sun.
“Unfortunately the Court instructed the jury that the First Amendment provided no defense whatsoever for Rebecca at the U.S. Capitol,” Roots said. “We believe the instructions were improper and we intend to appeal her convictions.”
“We are very disappointed in the verdict.”
Lavrenz was arrested Dec. 19, 2022, in Denver after tipsters alerted the FBI she was part of the crowd that breached the Capitol. In an interview with federal authorities, Lavrenz said she spent 10 minutes inside the Capitol, according to court documents.
Investigators confirmed her account by reviewing surveillance footage that shows Lavrenz in a red scarf and a white hat among the crowd of hundreds of rioters illegally entering and picketing inside the building.
Her sentencing date was not immediately available in federal court records.