Cudd and Eliel Rosa - both Midland, Texas, residents and vocal supporters of US President Donald Trump - appeared before US Magistrate Judge Ronald Griffin on Wednesday, shortly after being arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their role in the January 6 riots that resulted in the deaths of five people and injuries to dozens of others.
“Midland residents Jenny Louise Cudd (aka 'Jenny Haning Cudd') and Eliel Rosa were taken into custody this morning by the FBI in connection with the Capitol incident,” a statement provided by the US Attorney's Office read.
Cudd and Rosa have both been charged with entering and remaining on restricted grounds and disorderly conduct, which are respectively class A and B misdemeanors. The accused face up to a year in prison for the first charge and up to to six months behind bars for the second charge.
Local Texas outlet CBS7 reported that, as of Wednesday afternoon, Cudd had been released on a personal recognizance bond, but is slated to appear in court again on a later date.
Days prior to her arrest, Cudd appeared confident that she had not violated any laws, despite her unlawful entry of the Capitol building.
“Do I think that it was wrong for us to go to the Capitol? Absolutely not. Do I think that it was wrong for me to go through an open door and get inside of the Capitol? No I don’t. I didn’t break any laws, I didn’t do anything unlawful, and I think that’s probably why the FBI and the law enforcement have not contacted me yet,” Cudd told CBS7 on Friday.
#BREAKING Jenny Cudd has been arrested by the FBI.
— Joshua Skinner (@JoshuaSkinnerTV) January 13, 2021
On Friday, Cudd told me during an interview that she did nothing wrong. pic.twitter.com/b2ElB1oMwn
According to the outlet, she repeatedly expressed that she was proud of her actions and would carry out similar acts in the future.
Cudd did note that she would not have used the word "we" in the footage that ultimately went viral and has now amassed well over 7 million views on Twitter alone, as she did not personally break the door down. The footage was originally uploaded to Facebook by Cudd herself, but was removed from the platform when Cudd deleted her Facebook profile.
Cudd is overheard laughing while declaring that she and others "didn't vandalize anything at all" while in the Capitol building.
“But ... as I say that, we did break down Nancy Pelosi’s office door and someone stole her gavel and took a picture sitting in the chair flipping off the camera, and that was on Fox News," she confessed.
Get on Facebook, and I see tons of my friends are sharing and commenting on this trash bag from our town who apparently was in DC yesterday, talking about how she was in Pelosi’s office, how she “stormed the capitol” complete with a whole video. These people are IDIOTS! @FBI pic.twitter.com/2ejBz9tqB7
— ❤️⚡️Nikki⚡️❤️ (@priddy_nikki81) January 7, 2021
One of the men who notably sat in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) chair was 60-year-old Gravette, Arkansas, resident Richard Barnett, who also supports Trump. Barnett made his first court appearance before US Magistrate Judge Erin Wiedemann on Tuesday.
From his feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk to an Arkansas jail. Here's a mug shot of Richard Barnett, who was arrested this morning and is now facing federal charges pic.twitter.com/rpSJ3BvyAm
— Reena Roy (@reenaroy) January 8, 2021
Wiedmann noted that because Barnett was carrying a stun gun at the time of his crimes, a previous charge was upgraded to entering a restricted building without lawful authority while carrying a dangerous weapon. The new charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars.
When asked about his mental health, Barnett told the court that he has been treated for "different kinds of depression."
Robert Keith Packer, a 56-year-old of Newport News, Virginia, was also booked in his hometown after going viral for his "Camp Auschwitz" hooded sweatshirt. Authorities charged him with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
If convicted, Packer faces a maximum of 10 years and six months behind bars.
Left: 1/6/21. Right: Mughsot, Today.
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) January 13, 2021
Name: Robert Keith Packer. pic.twitter.com/guCNtOWBqc
The Virginia man's sweatshirt, which references a Nazi concentration camp where about 1.1 million people were killed during World War II, drew the attention of tens of thousands of netizens after it was seen advertised on the user-submitted marketplace Teespring.
The online e-commerce platform responded to criticism by pulling the design and issuing an apology.
Overall, more than 100 individuals have been arrested in connection with the riot at and around the US Capitol building, according to a Wednesday count from the Associated Press.
“This is only the beginning,” said acting US Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael Sherwin earlier this week. “We’re going to focus on the most significant charges as a deterrent because, regardless of it was just a trespass in the Capitol or if someone planted a pipe bomb, you will be charged and you will be found.”
