A Texas woman convicted in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was sentenced to 60 days in federal prison on Thursday despite a tweet in which she claimed she would not go to jail because she was a successful blonde white woman.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said during the sentencing that the notoriety of Jenna Ryan, a Texas real-estate agent who defended herself on Twitter and in interviews, meant the country would be watching to see how the courts responded to the siege of Congress.
“I think the sentence should tell them that we take it seriously, that it was an assault on our democracy … And that it should never happen again,” Cooper said, according to the Washington Post.
TEXAS MAN SENTENCED TO 14 MONTHS IN PRISON OVER SOCIAL MEDIA THREATS TIED TO CAPITOL RIOT
Ryan was initially charged with 12 offenses, but 11 were dropped after she agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. She pleaded guilty in August.
Ryan tweeted in March that she did not expect to get any time behind bars and claimed she did nothing wrong.
“Definitely not going to jail. Sorry I have blonde hair white skin a great job a great future and I’m not going to jail,” she tweeted. “Sorry to rain on your hater parade. I did nothing wrong.”
Definitely not going to jail. 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
— Jenna Ryan ?? (@dotjenna) March 26, 2021
In a letter to the court, Ryan said she had been bullied online and was trying to maintain her dignity at the time of the tweet. She also claimed that her attorney had given her the impression that she would not receive any jail time.
“I do not feel that I am immune to punishment due to my appearance and social status,” she said. “My true feelings are not always displayed on my public social network. Much of my inner world is kept inside.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
More than 600 people have been charged in connection with Jan. 6. However, many of the defendants have been given no jail time.
A man from Texas, Troy Anthony Smocks, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for issuing threats to Congress on social media. Jacob Chansley, widely known as the QAnon Shaman, faces up to 51 months in prison after pleading guilty to a single felony charge. He is expected to be sentenced on Nov. 17, according to NPR.
Ryan has been allowed to serve her sentence after the holidays. She is expected to report to prison in January.
