'Trump girl': West Virginia Guard member admits role in Capitol riot
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia National Guard member who wore a hoodie that read "Yes, I'm a Trump girl" inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda during the Jan. 6 riot pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Wednesday.
Jamie Lynn Ferguson entered the plea to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building during a conference call with a U.S. magistrate judge in Washington, D.C. The charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Prosecutors asked that three other charges be dismissed. Ferguson, 44, also agreed to pay $500 restitution for damage caused to the Capitol. Sentencing was set for Nov. 18.
On Jan. 3, 2021, Ferguson shared an article on her Facebook account containing a picture of a crowd in front of the Capitol with a storm cloud and Mount Rushmore above it. A caption in the post read, "I pray this is exactly what D.C. will look like on Jan. 6th. #HoldTheLine." A comment on the post asked whether Ferguson was going to the Capitol and she replied, "I am," according to court documents.
In an interview with FBI special agents a week after the riot, Ferguson admitted attending former President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally in front of the White House before heading to the Capitol. Ferguson was wearing a dark hoodie with the phrase "Yes, I'm a Trump Girl" in white lettering when she entered the building. She spent nearly an hour inside, mostly walking around the Rotunda, the documents showed.
A report submitted to the FBI by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations said Ferguson was on leave from the National Guard from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7. Ferguson said she attended the rally with her parents, who left afterward. Ferguson said she proceeded to the Capitol because she believed she would be able to see Trump again.
Ferguson was arrested in May in Lynchburg, Virginia. She is a technical sergeant and a drill status guardsman assigned to the West Virginia Air National Guard.
"As a matter of policy, the 130th Airlift Wing and the West Virginia National Guard do not comment on civilian criminal matters," the Guard said in a statement Wednesday.
Under the conditions of her release, Ferguson was ordered to stay at the Virginia home of her parents.
More than 830 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. More than 320 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanor charges, and over 200 have been sentenced.