An Indiana grandmother has avoided jail time for her role in the U.S. Capitol riots.
According to the Associated Press, 49-year-old Anna Morgan Lloyd became the first defendant to be sentenced in connection to the Jan. 6 attack, which resulted in multiple deaths. She was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service, pay $500 in restitution, and serve three years of probation. The sentencing was announced Wednesday after Lloyd admitted to entering the Capitol during the siege. Although she pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, Lloyd’s legal team argued she did not participate in any violence or destruction, and had only gone to Washington, D.C., to support former president Donald Trump.
“I just would like to apologize to the court, the American people and my family,” Morgan-Lloyd said during Wednesday’s sentencing. “I was there to show support for President Trump peacefully and I’m ashamed that it became a savage display of violence, and I would’ve never been there if I had a clue it would turn out that way.”
She went on to say that it was never her intention to participate in something “so disgraceful to the American people.”
The sentencing was determined by U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth, admitted he was giving Lloyd a “break,” but made it clear that the other 500 defendants may not receive the same leniency
“Legally, I could give you the six months,” the judge said, “but is that what really we want our judiciary to do?”
The ruling came on the same day that Graydon Young pleaded guilty for his involvement in the Capitol riots. CNN reports the 54-year-old Florida resident had cooperated with prosecutors during their sweeping investigation, and is the first Oath Keepers member to plead guilty in the 16-person conspiracy case.
Prosecutors say the Oath Keepers—a far-right extremist group—were heavily involved in planning the armed Jan. 6 attack, for which they allegedly recruited and trained other participants. Young pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy and obstruction charges. He has agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution and could reportedly face between 63 and 78 months in prison.
