TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A former corrections officer and a friend who were indicted for their roles in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot are considering plea deals offered by the government.
Marissa Suarez and Patricia Todisco made a virtual court appearance Tuesday in court in Washington.
Todisco’s attorney said his client is is in the process of working out details on a plea deal. Suarez, who worked as a correctional officer in Monmouth County, New Jersey, but resigned after her arrest, hasn’t made a decision yet.
“We are still reviewing the voluminous discovery in this case,” Suarez’s attorney, Rocco Cipparone, said in an email. “Additional time is needed to do so given the breadth of discovery, and the court agreed to grant that additional time today. In that context, we continue to assess potential challenges in response to these charges, and Ms. Suarez’s options.”
The next court proceeding is scheduled for May 26, but federal public defender David Bos, Todisco’s attorney, indicated she could plead guilty before then. Bos declined comment after the hearing.
Both women were indicted last March on charges including obstructing an official proceeding and disorderly conduct, and have been free on bail. Todisco also was charged with illegally entering an office of a member of Congress, allegedly that of Democratic Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley.
According to an FBI affidavit, a friend of Suarez’s notified authorities after Suarez sent the friend numerous texts and videos from the Capitol breach, including one text with an attached video that read, “This is us going in.”
Security video footage also showed Suarez and Todisco inside the Senate wing of the Capitol, according to the affidavit.
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