Justice Served: Ohio Woman Gets 50 Days in Jail for January 6 Capitol Riot!
An Ohio woman has been sentenced for her involvement in the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. This breach happened while Congress was in session to confirm the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Therese Borgerding, 61, from Piqua, Ohio, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly. Her sentence includes 50 days in prison, 130 days of house arrest, 36 months of supervised release, and she must pay $2,000 in restitution.
Borgerding was convicted on one felony charge and several misdemeanor charges, including obstructing law enforcement and disorderly conduct. On the day of the breach, she was accompanied by her husband, Walter Messer.
The couple arrived in Washington, D.C., early and joined the protest at the Capitol while holding a ‘Q’ sign. As the crowd grew and became more chaotic, Borgerding and Messer breached the barricades surrounding the Capitol.
The evidence presented showed Borgerding unhooking barricades and pushing through the Capitol’s Rotunda Doors, where she briefly stayed. Despite her presence in the Northwest Courtyard, still holding her sign, she was arrested by the FBI in Dayton on August 6, 2021. Her husband, Messer, had been sentenced to 24 months of probation earlier, on September 11, 2023, for his role in the same event.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case for the District of Columbia with support from the DOJ’s Counterterrorism Section and the Southern District of Ohio. To date, over 1,488 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol breach, and the legal proceedings are ongoing nearly 44 months after the incident.