An Ohio woman was sentenced yesterday for her actions during the U.S. Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021, which occurred as Congress was meeting to confirm the 2020 presidential election results. The Department of Justice reported Therese Borgerding, 61, received a sentence including 50 days in prison, 130 days of house arrest, 36 months of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly.

Convicted on one felony and multiple misdemeanor charges related to obstructing law enforcement and disorderly conduct, Borgerding, accompanied by her husband, Walter Messer, protested at the Capitol while holding a 'Q' sign. After the couple, arrived early in Washington, D.C., from Piqua, Ohio, they remained at the barricades, eventually breaching the perimeter as the crowd grew and turned unruly, the DOJ lengthily describes.

Documented evidence includes Borgerding unhooking barricades and pushing through the Capitol's Rotunda Doors, where she stayed briefly. Despite her mobile presence in the Northwest Courtyard, still clutching her sign, she was arrested by the FBI on Aug. 6, 2021, in Dayton. Messer had previously been sentenced to 24 months of probation on Sept. 11, 2023, in relation to the same event.

Prosecution of the case was handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, with additional assistance from the DOJ's Counterterrorism Section and the Southern District of Ohio. More than 1,488 individuals have been charged nationally with crimes tied to the Capitol breach, and the process is far from over, even after almost 44 months since the incident took place.