A Connecticut woman and her adult daughter pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges stemming from when they entered the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
Jean Lavin, 57, and Carla Krzywicki, 20, both of Canterbury, both pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. They acknowledged climbing a bicycle rack to get inside the U.S. Capitol, where they were spotted walking around.
The mother and daughter were arrested in September after an unidentified tipster told the FBI that Krzywicki posted two photos on Facebook of herself and her mother outside the Capitol and of the scene inside the building, according to court documents. Krzywicki said in court she removed the photos after realizing the seriousness of the situation.
The two, who said they traveled to Washington, D.C. on a bus trip from Norwich to hear Trump speak, had originally faced four crimes in connection with the breach, including entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
Lavin acknowledged she walked into the building with a sign that read “Trump Won” on one side and “Don’t allow 7 states of cheaters to hijack our election!” on the other, but told a U.S. District Court judge she made the signs for the former president’s rally and carried them inside because she didn’t have a safe place to keep them.
“We went along with the crowd, but didn’t have the mob mentality like others there,” Lavin said Tuesday, according to news reports.
The women, who’ve each agreed to pay $500 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol to help pay for the nearly $1.5 million in damage to the building, are scheduled to be sentenced on April 22. They face a maximum of six months in prison, up to five years probation and up to $5,000 in fines.
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