Current:Home > ContactSocial media influencer is charged with joining the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol -ProfitClass
Social media influencer is charged with joining the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol
View
Date:2025-04-21 12:31:03
A conservative social media influencer has been charged with storming the U.S. Capitol and passing a stolen table out of a broken window, allowing other rioters to use it as a weapon against police, according to court records unsealed on Monday.
Isabella Maria DeLuca was arrested last Friday in Irvine, California, on misdemeanor charges, including theft of government property, disorderly conduct and entering a restricted area.
DeLuca, who has more than 333,000 followers on the platform formerly known as Twitter, is a former congressional intern who works as a media associate for The Gold Institute for International Strategy. DeLuca’s profile on the institute’s website says she served as an ambassador for the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA.
DeLuca also interned for former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, both of whom are Republicans who have supported former President Donald Trump.
DeLuca, 24, of Setauket, New York, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Online court records don’t list an attorney representing her.
During the Jan. 6 riot, DeLuca replied to a Twitter post by writing, “Fight back or let politicians steal and election? Fight back!”
Videos captured her entering a suite of conference rooms inside the Capitol through a broken window on the Lower West Terrace. She passed a table out of the window and then climbed back outside through the same window. A table that another rioter threw at police resembled the one that DeLuca passed out the window, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.
DeLuca posted about the riot for days after the Jan. 6 attack. When an Instagram user asked her why she supported breaking into the Capitol, she responded, “According to the constitution it’s our house.”
Several days later, she posted on social media that she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and had “mixed feelings.”
“People went to the Capitol building because that’s Our House and that’s where we go to take our grievances. People feel, as do I that an election was stolen from them and it was allowed,” she wrote.
When the FBI questioned her roughly two weeks after the Capitol attack, DeLuca denied entering the building on Jan. 6, the agent’s affidavit says.
More than 1,300 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related crimes. Over 800 of them have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds getting a term of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years.
veryGood! (15)
Related
- FBI: California woman brought sword, whip and other weapons into Capitol during Jan. 6 riot
- What we know about the lawsuit filed by the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
- Rihanna Shares Struggles With Postpartum Hair Loss
- Family of bystander killed during Minneapolis police pursuit files lawsuit against the city
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- The US Supreme Court's ethics are called into question | The Excerpt
- Jeannie Mai and Jeezy Finalize Divorce After Abuse Allegations
- Criticism of Luka Doncic mounting with each Mavericks loss in NBA Finals
- Small twin
- White House preps ‘dreamers’ celebration while President Biden eyes new benefits for immigrants
Ranking
- How effective is the Hyundai, Kia anti-theft software? New study offers insights.
- The head of the FAA says his agency was too hands-off in its oversight of Boeing
- Phoenix police violated civil rights, used illegal excessive force, DOJ finds
- President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sign 10-year security deal
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Criticism of Luka Doncic mounting with each Mavericks loss in NBA Finals
- You don’t think corn dogs are haute cuisine? These chefs, using alligator sausage, beg to differ.
- Attorney charged in voting machine tampering case announces run for Michigan Supreme Court
Recommendation
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
Daniel Radcliffe on first Tony nomination, how Broadway challenged him after Harry Potter
Maine shooting exposes gaps in mental health treatment and communication practices
House Republicans vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt | The Excerpt
'Most Whopper
Passports can now be renewed online. Here's how to apply.
Gov. Hochul considering a face mask ban on New York City subways, citing antisemitic acts
With deal done, Disney will withdraw lawsuit, ending conflict with DeSantis and his appointees