Twenty-three-year-old Gracyn Courtright pleaded guilty to entering and remaining illegally in a restricted building or lot on Jan. 6. As part of the deal, Courtright agreed to pay $ 500 in restitution for damages caused to the Capitol during the riot. Prosecutors have reduced similar agreements with other defendants that were neither violent nor destructive inside the building.
Prosecutors say he told an associate that “idk what a betrayal” and posted a mirror selfie on Instagram titled “Infamy is as good as fame. Either way, I end up being better known. XOXO” .
Courtright could face up to six months in prison, though she is likely to be ordered to serve much less, or even without jail, when she is sentenced in November. District Judge Christopher Cooper scheduled Courtright’s sentencing in a face-to-face hearing in DC, but said that plan could change as Courtright and his family have not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
As he prepared to file his guilty plea during the virtual proceedings Monday, Courtright began to cry.
“I just tremble. I’m sorry,” he told the judge.
Courtright said that shortly after January 6 he retired from the University of Kentucky, where he studied mathematical economics. In December, Courtright will face a school board that will decide if he can return to class.
The Justice Department has charged more than 590 people in the massive investigation into the Capitol riots. So far, 46 have pleaded guilty.