3 Beverly Hills residents arrested by FBI in attack on Capitol Hill



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Three Beverly Hills residents have been arrested on federal charges alleging they were part of the mob that broke into the Capitol earlier this month.

Gina Bisignano, 52, was taken into custody by FBI agents on Tuesday morning, and on Monday John Strand, 37, and Simone Gold, 55, were arrested, according to an FBI spokeswoman. All three were taken into custody without incident, according to Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI office in Los Angeles. They are expected to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.

More than 100 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the violent incursion into the Capitol building on Jan.6, and dozens more are under investigation, according to federal prosecutors and the FBI.

Bisignano, owner of a skin and eyelash care store who has been instrumental in organizing weekly protests in Beverly Hills in support of President Trump, told the Beverly Hills Courier last week that she had entered the Capitol, but said she was having a panic attack. and needed to find a safe place.

“I couldn’t breathe. I was having a panic attack. I needed air, ”she told the newspaper. “Every time I opened my eyes, they burned. My mouth was burning. Everything was on fire and I couldn’t breathe.

“I was caught up, I was scared, I was excited,” Bisignano told the Courier. “A guy said say that over a megaphone. I don’t even remember saying it.

In several images posted to Twitter, a woman identified by the Courier as Bisignano is seen holding a megaphone. And in a video posted to Twitter, a woman identified by the newspaper as Bisignano is seen leaning out of the Capitol building through a shattered window and calling out to other members of the crowd. “We need Americans,” she said. “Come on guys. We need patriots. You guys, this is the way.

This is not the first time that Bisignano has found itself in difficulty. In December, a neighbor repeatedly taped her using a homophobic slur while declaiming the stay-at-home order and other measures in place in Los Angeles to stem the spread of the coronavirus. After media around the world picked up on the viral video, Bisignano apologized.

Gold, a doctor, was among a group of doctors who appeared in July before the United States Supreme Court to denounce pandemic lockdowns and advocated unproven treatments for the disease caused by the virus, such as the use of hydroxychloroquine.

Last week, she confirmed to the Washington Post that she was a woman seen on video wielding a megaphone inside the Capitol with the crowd.

Strand is the self-proclaimed communications director of the Beverly Hills Freedom Rallies in support of Trump and in opposition to California’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.



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