A woman who live-streamed the storming of the U.S. Capitol is heading to the Yucatán Peninsula for vacation.
Jenny Cudd, a 36-year-old florist in Midland, Texas, was indicted for her involvement in the Jan. 6 siege. But a judge has granted her permission to take “a work-related bonding retreat for employees and their spouses” Feb. 18 through Feb. 21 on the Riviera Maya.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden wrote that the defendant has no criminal history and said there is “no evidence before the Court suggesting the Defendant is a flight risk or poses a danger to others.”
A federal grand jury has charged Cudd with felonies including obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a restricted building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. She also was indicted on two counts related to disorderly or disruptive conduct in the building.
Cudd initially was charged with two misdemeanor counts of entering and remaining on restricted grounds and disorderly conduct or violent entry. She was released on her own recognizance.
But it’s the felony charges that are more serious, carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and potential fines.
In her 25-minute video, posted on her Facebook account, she said the mob decided to “storm the Capitol” after learning that Vice President Mike Pence “betrayed us.”
Draped in the Trump flag she’d worn inside the Rotunda and Statuary Hall, she announced, “We did break down … Nancy Pelosi’s office door.” She “charged the Capitol today with patriots,” adding, “Hell yes, I am proud of my actions.”
Cudd, a former mayor candidate, denied doing anything unlawful when reached by a local reporter. She also claimed that Antifa members broke through police barriers and assaulted officers before she arrived on Capitol grounds.
