Supporters of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, protest at the United States Capitol Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
A retired New York policeman seen in a surveillance video shaking a tambourine as he walked inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6 with a crowd of Trump supporters was arrested Tuesday morning.
Sara Carpenter, 51, is the latest in a series of former members of the public force to be accused of connection to the riot, which began with protests against the election of President Joe Biden.
Carpenter, who surrendered voluntarily on Tuesday, told FBI agents in January that she went to the Capitol with others after hearing then President Donald Trump instruct them to “march to the Capitol,” according to a lawsuit. judicial.
The riot left five people dead, including Capitol policeman Brian Sicknick. Two other policemen who defended the Capitol that day killed themselves in the aftermath of the riot, which wounded almost 140 other policemen.
Carpenter retired from the New York Police Department in 2004, after about 10 years of service. During the 1990s, she worked as a spokesperson for the NYPD.
Detective Sophia Mason, current Police Department spokeswoman, said in an email: “The NYPD worked closely with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, culminating in the arrest of Sara Carpenter. “
Carpenter was released by a judge on bail after appearing by videoconference on Tuesday in Brooklyn, New York, federal court. She faces charges of misdemeanor for intentionally entering or staying in any restricted building or land without legal authority, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or land, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
“Any involvement on January 6 [riot] it is serious conduct, “said US Assistant Prosecutor Josh Hafetz at that hearing.
But the prosecutor said Carpenter’s cooperation with the FBI, his voluntary surrender and other factors led prosecutors in Brooklyn and Washington to agree that a non-monetary bond would be sufficient “to ensure that she will return to court and protect the safety of the community. “
Under the conditions of this bond, Carpenter’s trip is limited to New York City or Long Island, unless it is to visit Washington for court appearances and meetings with a local attorney for the case. She handed over her passport when she surrendered to the FBI.
The DOJ sends the photo of a tambourine as part of a Statement of Facts related to former NYPD officer Sara Carpenter participating in the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
Carpenter’s case, along with hundreds of other criminal cases against alleged Capitol rioters, is being processed in the federal court for the District of Columbia.
The lawsuit says the FBI received an anonymous tip on January 7 saying that Carpenter called a relative and said she was inside the Capitol and was injected with tear gas during the invasion. The informant gave Carpenter’s home address in the Queens district of New York City.
Carpenter, on Jan. 18, told FBI agents during an interview he drove to Washington on Jan. 5 and the next morning “went to the meeting place where Trump’s Twitter page instructed all supporters to hear about electoral fraud. “said the document.
Trump, for months after the November presidential election, repeatedly and falsely claimed that he had won the election and that Biden’s victory was the result of widespread electoral fraud in several states.
Federal and state courts have consistently dismissed these claims, as did Trump’s attorney general at the time, William Barr.
On January 6, Trump, his family and several allies held a rally in front of the White House, where they again made false statements about the election and asked his supporters to help them reverse the election results. These results were to be confirmed that day by a joint session of Congress chaired by then Vice President Mike Pence.
According to the lawsuit, Carpenter told FBI agents, “She heard President Trump’s words on televisions and jumbo speakers, instructing people to come back, not leave, and march to the Capitol.”
“Carpenter said that at about 1:00 pm she started walking with a large group of people to the Capitol. Carpenter said that she entered the Capitol Rotunda, where she observed other individuals walking and leaving with items,” filing said.
“Carpenter told FBI agents that he watched the police yelling for individuals to get out, then pushing and shoving the crowd. Carpenter said she was trampled and peppered when she left the Capitol building.”
The DOJ sends photos as part of a Statement of Facts, identifying former NYPD officer Sara Carpenter (wearing a red hat, green jacket and gray backpack), participating in the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
Source: Department of Justice.
The suit also notes that, during her interview, Carpenter said that she had made a video of the interior of the Capitol building with her cell phone. She sent a text message containing that footage to an FBI agent on January 19, the suit said.
The capitol video of the Capitol shows Carpenter wearing a red hat, green coat and black boots, with a backpack, entering the Capitol Rotunda with a crowd, the filing said.
Before she leaves the Rotunda, Carpenter is seen in the video returning “to the room and getting up [her] hands up, “said the suit.
The DOJ sends photos as part of a Statement of Facts, identifying former NYPD officer Sara Carpenter (wearing a red hat, green jacket and gray backpack), participating in the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
Source: Department of Justice.
“In her left hand she holds a tambourine, which she shakes several times before turning and leaving the Rotunda,” said the filing.
A search of Carpenter’s home on March 2 found the items of clothing she was wearing on the Capitol that day, as well as her backpack, the filing said.
“Carpenter also voluntarily provided the tambourine that she confirmed to be carrying inside the Capitol,” the document said.