Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk lashed out at federal officials for the prosecution of a Jan. 6 protester affectionately known to many as the “praying grandma.” Rebeca Lavrenz was recently found guilty by a jury on misdemeanor charges concerning the day’s demonstration.
The 71-year-old businesswoman and great-grandmother owns a bed and breakfast in Colorado Springs. She had no criminal record before driving to Washington, D.C. and praying outside of the Capitol.
Lavrenz entered the Capitol with numerous others and was inside for approximately 10 minutes. Musk called the decision to prosecute her “not right,” and a prominent political leader called for executive action.
The Biden DOJ wants to throw 70-year-old grandmother Rebecca Lavrenz in jail for a year and hit her with $210,000 in fines.
Her crime?
Praying in the Capitol for 10 minutes on January 6th.
Meanwhile illegal aliens not only go unpunished for their crimes, but are rewarded… pic.twitter.com/7d6uhaZCYg
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 4, 2024
Sen. Mike Lee (R-AZ) responded to a post on X, formerly Twitter, detailing that Lavrenz faces up to a year in prison and $210,000 in fines. He wrote, “She needs prayers…and then a presidential pardon.”
There is no chance of a pardon from the current president. Under Biden’s leadership, the judicial hammer has been brought down on hundreds of nonviolent protesters who did nothing more than mill around.
The jury deliberated for an astounding 26 hours before returning a guilty verdict against the great-grandmother on Thursday. Just three days before, Lavrenz testified for five hours explaining her actions during the Jan. 6 demonstrations.
Cell phone and video evidence showed she spent 10 minutes inside the Capitol. While there she walked around and spoke to a Capitol Police Officer.
For this, Lavrenz was charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol Building.
Before her trial, Lavrenz posted on X that she was treated like a criminal for standing up for her president. “I was just standing up for my country, it makes me a criminal. And it’s just not right.”
After the verdict was announced, Lavrenz noted that at least one juror saw through the government’s persecution of a nonviolent protester.
She declared, “The deliberation was good because obviously at least one person on the jury was fighting for me, and many people have been convicted in the first hour.”
