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Rachel Marie Powell, an eight-year-old mom in Pennsylvania who became known as “The Megaphone” after she was filmed shouting orders at rioters during the Capitol looting, has been released on bail by a federal judge from DC.
U.S. District Court Chief Justice Beryl Howell described Powell’s alleged actions on Jan.6 as “so unpatriotic that they make my hair curl straight,” but said Powell could be fitted with an electronic ankle monitor and confined to her home in Sandy Lake, Pa. times, while awaiting trial in Washington
If she is allowed to leave home to work, see a doctor, or meet with her lawyer, Powell must wear a face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Howell said.
Powell’s nose and mouth were not covered during the Capitol Riot according to video evidence presented in court, Howell noted. Prosecutors pointed out that Powell had previously been fired from a job for refusing to wear a mask. But Powell’s attorney, Michael Engle, insisted his client would follow the rules if released.
“We appreciate the court giving Rachel the opportunity to return to her family and reunite with her children,” Engle told The Daily Beast after the hearing. “Obviously we have a lot of work to do to figure out how best to move this case forward, but today was a big step in the right direction for Rachel so that she could see her children and approach this question instead. to be incarcerated.
Powell, 40, was arrested by the FBI in New Castle, Pa. On February 4, ending a nationwide manhunt in which the then fugitive gave a phone interview disjointed to Ronan Farrow of The New Yorker. Powell, who sells cheese and yogurt at a western Pennsylvania farmer’s market, faces charges of obstruction, depredation of government property, entering a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, and violent entry / disorderly conduct. The government said in a court file that Powell left her children home alone when she joined the January 6 riot.
“The accused abandoned his children and traveled to the District of Columbia to participate in an act of insurgency,” prosecutors wrote. “She came prepared, armed with earmuffs designed to stifle gunfire and wearing a jacket designed to conceal a weapon. Not content with demonstrating peacefully, she used a ram to break into the United States Capitol. In doing so, she put the lives of law enforcement and rioters in danger. Then she led her fellow rioters on the best way to enter the Capitol. By directly promoting violence and destruction, the accused fueled a situation that threatened the peaceful transfer of power to the United States.
On Tuesday, a Pennsylvania federal magistrate ordered Powell’s release pending trial. In response, the government immediately requested a stay of the order. Powell has been held until Howell delivers his ruling on Thursday.
Violently entering the Capitol building is a “very serious” offense that can result in up to 20 years in prison, and the government has cell phone tower data placing Powell in a riot, Howell said at the hearing remote today. Powell was “enthusiastically” participating in the insurgency, using a megaphone to give instructions on how to get further into the Capitol, and used a ram to smash a window, Howell continued, adding that Powell then gave an interview. at The New Yorker “And admitted his involvement in the attempt to disrupt our constitutional democracy.”
Still, Howell said she only caused property damage and didn’t bring any weapons with her to DC. Additionally, Powell surrendered to the FBI, surrendered her passport, and after her Feb. 4 arrest arranged to remove several legally owned firearms from her home, which Howell said also weighed in. in favor of the release of Powell.
Additionally, Howell said, the Justice Department did not object to two members of the Proud Boys who scribbled “Murder the Media” on a door inside the Capitol from being released on bail. Howell wondered if Powell, who has no criminal history, has strong ties to his area and whether homeschooling five of his eight children could be considered a greater danger to the community in comparison.
“When the government appeals the magistrate’s decision to the district court, it’s a whole new assessment of the evidence by a different judge, so you never know what’s going to happen,” Engle said. “We were happy [Howell] decided that these conditions were appropriate.
An anonymous informant first revealed Powell to authorities, according to court documents. The FBI was then able to match Facebook photos of Powell wearing a distinctive set of earmuffs with those she was seen wearing on Capitol Hill.
Powell only recently began expressing extreme political views, in the past posting mostly innocuous Facebook posts about yoga and organic food. After apparently being influenced by figures such as Infowars founder Alex Jones, who claimed the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax, and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who made countless misrepresentations while he was Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, his tone changed. .
“It is not for [sic] late to wake up, say no and restore freedoms, ”Powell wrote on Facebook last May.
During a search of Powell’s house and car, officers found three “take-out bags” containing, among other things, ammunition, ties, rope, duct tape, knives, throwing stars. and two magazines loaded for an AK-47. They also discovered a number of cell phones that appeared to have been torn to pieces in what prosecutors believe was an attempt by Powell to destroy evidence.
“It’s crazy,” said a neighbor of Powell in Pittsburgh, CBS News affiliate, KDKA. “We’re Republicans but we would never do something like this. Biden is the president at the moment. To live with. Move on.”
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