Capitol rioter who said she’s ‘not going to jail’ is going to jail
A Capitol rioter who gloated that she was “definitely not going to jail” because she has “blonde hair, white skin” had her words come back to bite her Thursday — when she was sentenced to two months in jail.
Jennifer Leigh Ryan, a real estate agent from suburban Dallas, was told her jail time was largely a result of her social media posts bragging about being at the Jan. 6 siege.
“Definitely not going to jail,” she had tweeted on March 26, having already faced flak for bragging about flying to DC by private jet.
“Sorry I have blonde hair white skin a great job a great future and I’m not going to jail. Sorry to rain on your hater parade. I did nothing wrong,” she wrote.
Prosecutors cited the tweet as proof that the 50-year-old realtor had zero remorse for the attack on the Capitol that delayed Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
Ryan insisted in Washington, DC federal court Thursday that she was sorry for her actions, but Judge Christopher Cooper snapped, “Your actions since Jan. 6 make me doubt some of those things.”
“You were a cheerleader, you cheered it on,” he told Ryan as he sentenced her to 60 days behind bars.
She is expected to start serving her sentence in January.
In messages after getting jail time Thursday, Ryan insisted that her harsh sentence was given as a “deterrence to others since I have a high profile.”
“You win!!! I’m going to prison,” she tweeted of her miscalculated brag.
“Pop champagne and then rejoice. But just leave me alone,” she tweeted.
Prosecutors said Ryan traveled to the Capitol on a private jet, described the rally before the riot as a prelude to war, and livestreamed her entry into the building as alarms sounded.
She then tweeted a photo of herself next to broken windows outside the Capitol, later saying she deserved a medal.
Her lawyer insisted, however, that she was in the building for only two minutes, didn’t act violently and has a First Amendment right to speak up on social media.
Ryan became the 10th person charged in the Jan. 6 attack to get a jail or prison sentence. More than 650 people have been charged for their actions at the Capitol.
With Post wires
