City News Service reports:
A Los Angeles-area doctor known for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine pleaded guilty Thursday to storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and will cooperate with the government’s investigation.
Simone Gold entered her plea in Washington, D.C., to a Class-A misdemeanor count of unlawfully entering and remaining in a restricted building, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia.
Gold faces up to a year of jail time or probation when she is sentenced on June 16. She will also pay $500 in restitution to help with the millions of dollars in repairs required after the riot.
The Associated Press reports:
As part of her guilty plea, Gold acknowledged she and her co-defendant John Strand, while outside the building, were directly in front of a police officer who was assaulted and dragged to the ground.
Gold, who has over 400,000 followers on Twitter, is an outspoken figure in the anti-vaccine movement in the U.S. and is known for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.
Simone Gold, the founder of America’s Frontline Doctors, a group notorious for questioning the safety and effectiveness of COVID vaccines and promoting unproven drugs, has pleaded guilty to participating in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6.https://t.co/MhEGA4rSB2
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 4, 2022
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis: “You do not have to wear those masks. Please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything. We need to stop with this COVID theater.”
Finally, a leader with common sense AND uncommon courage.pic.twitter.com/4Q8KXByEuU
— Dr. Simone Gold (@drsimonegold) March 3, 2022
NEW: Simone Gold has pleaded guilty to a class A misdemeanor in her Jan. 6 case. She avoids the felony obstruction charge, and agrees to cooperate. https://t.co/BBys0VXHny
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) March 3, 2022
Simone Gold, the insurrectionist, anti-vaccine doctor who stormed the Capitol, pleads guilty https://t.co/ZLb9s0KnYF
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) March 3, 2022