A woman photographed smiling as she held up a broken name plate, torn from the office of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) during the riots on Jan. 6, 2021, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and faces up to a year in prison.
Emily Hernandez, 22, pled guilty in federal court Monday to a misdemeanor count of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, the Kansas City Star reported on Monday. Her sentencing is in March but Hernandez faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Hernandez had initially faced five total charges, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), including disorderly conduct that impedes government business and stealing or attempting to sell something of value from the U.S.
The plea comes a week after Hernandez was arrested in a separate incident for driving the wrong way on a major interstate in Missouri, causing a fatal accident that killed one person and injured another, the Kansas City Star reported.
More than 700 people have been charged in connection to the Jan. 6 riots, when supporters of former President Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to overturn the certification of the 2020 election, amid false claims from Trump and others that it was stolen.
Hernandez became the first person from Missouri charged in connection with the riot when charges were brought against her on Jan. 15 in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
The DOJ said in court documents that three people tipped off the identity of Hernandez, who was also recorded in a news video from U.K.-based ITV News. Hernandez also allegedly posted videos of her involvement on Snapchat.
In pictures from the DOJ, Hernandez — dressed in sunglasses, a winter hat and coat — can be seen holding up the broken wooden name plate reading in fragmented parts: “The House” and “Nancy.” In one image she has an American flag draped around one of her arms.
The name plate costs $870, according to the DOJ.
Hernandez also took other signs from the Capitol, including a “Do Not Touch Sign” in front of a statue, and a “Keep Off Fence” sign from the grounds of the building, according to court records.