WASHINGTON -- A doctor anti-vaccination who entered the U.S. Capitol in the Jan. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, pleaded guilty on Thursday to a class A misdemeanor count for knowingly entering and remaining inside a restricted building.
Simone Gold was arrested last January as a hydroxychloroquine advocate. She was facing a felony of obstruction of an oficial proceeding as well as several misdemeanors. Gold was the founder of America's Frontline Doctors. The group was criticised for misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a remote hearing, Christopher Cooper, U.S. District Judge, accepted Gold's plea. In a plea agreement with the government, she agreed that she would cooperate in additional investigations into Jan. 6. The sentencing range for her is between 0 and 6 months in prison.
Cooper was told by Gold that he pleaded guilty. "I plead guilty."
Sentencencing is scheduled for June.
Gold was accompanied by John Strand, her co-defendant, and entered the Capitol through east doors to U.S. Capitol Rotunda. In a January 12, 2021 article, she stated to the Washington Post that she regrets being in the Capitol but that it was "incredibly peaceful" there. Gold was scheduled to speak at the "Rally for Health Freedom", which was on the east side.
"I'm a Stanford-educated lawyer!" According to a Mother Jones Story, Gold spoke in the rotunda on January 6, according to which she was radicalized.
The FBI has arrested more than 750 people in connection to the Jan. 6 attack. More than 2,500 individuals are suspected to have entered the Capitol or attacked members of the media or officers outside the building during the attack.
