Iowa woman sentenced to 5 months in federal prison on Jan 6 misdemeanor charges

Deborah Sandoval, 56, of Ankeny, Iowa, was sentenced by US District Judge Kollar-Kotelly to five months in prison for entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds on January 6, 2021. In addition, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ordered Sandoval to 12 months of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $500 to be paid to the Architect of the Capitol, and a $25 mandatory assessment, according to the United States Department of Justice.

Sandoval's "actions" on that day "disrupted a joint session of the US Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election," the statement reads. She was arrested on February 19, 2021, in Iowa.

Sandoval pleaded guilty on December 14, 2022, and entered into a plea agreement.

According to the US Department of Justice, Sandoval sent private messages before making the trip to DC and detailed her plans which indicated that she was aware potential violence could break out. Sandoval attended former President Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally at the Washington Monument, then made her way to the Capitol and stood in a restricted area.

She then entered the Capitol building after the Senate Wing Door had been forced open by rioters. Shortly after entering the Capitol, Sandoval was seen and heard on video encouraging violence towards former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, documents show.

Sandoval was inside the Capitol for 24 minutes before exiting out of the Senate Wing Doors.

Following the January 6 Capitol riot, Sandoval sent numerous texts and direct messages that described her conduct on that day. Investigators found a message that she had sent to a friend on Facebook asking them to delete pictures from the Capitol, along with other previous trips they had taken to Washington D.C.

According to the DOJ, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in connection to crimes related to breaching the Capitol.

A recent investigation released by the Heritage Foundation revealed that the FBI DC Bureau spent 16,000 more hours on the clock in the aftermath of the Capitol attack than they did investigate the Black Lives Matter riots that ravaged American cities for months in 2020.