Rachel Powell

Last updated
Rachel Powell
RachelPowell.jpg
Powell at the time of her arrest in 2021
Born (1980-03-26) March 26, 1980 (age 44)
Anaheim, California, U.S.
Other namesPink Hat Lady
Bullhorn Lady
Known forParticipation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
Criminal statusReleased after serving one year (pardoned)
Children8
Criminal penalty
Imprisoned at Federal Correctional Institution, Hazelton (2024)
D.C. Jail (2025)
Website rachelpowell.org

Rachel Marie Powell (born March 26, 1980), also known as "Pink Hat Lady" and "Bullhorn Lady", is an American convicted felon known for her participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, in which she wore a pink hat and used a bullhorn to instruct and encourage other rioters.

Contents

On July 18, 2023, Powell was found guilty on nine counts, comprising three felony charges and six misdemeanors. On October 17, 2023, Powell was sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. Powell began serving her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Hazelton, on January 9, 2024.

On January 20, 2025, the first day of the second presidency of Donald Trump, Powell was pardoned along with nearly every other participant in the Capitol riot. She was released from the D.C. Jail, a correctional facility in Washington, D.C., the following day.

Biography

Powell was born in Anaheim, California, and raised in Fresno. At the time of the Capitol attack, she was a single mother of eight and grandmother of six residing in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. [1]

In an interview with The New Yorker , which was conducted while she was being sought by law enforcement, Powell stated that she was initially critical of Donald Trump and did not vote in 2016, though voted for him in the 2020 United States presidential election. During the same interview, in summarizing her political views, Powell stated: "My views kind of fall all over the place. I guess you could say that I'm more libertarian at heart."

Powell posted misinformation about both the 2020 election and COVID-19 on Facebook; [2] in October 2020, she posted a message on the site stating that she agreed "with the possibility of civil war happening". [3]

Prosecutors alleged that Powell had become obsessed with keeping Trump in power following his loss in the 2020 election [4] and had conducted surveillance at a female legislator's house. [5] [6] [7]

January 6 United States Capitol attack

Powell was a participant in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, in which she entered a restricted section of the United States Capitol carrying an ice axe and a cardboard pipe she and several others used as a battering ram. [8] During the riot, Powell wore a pink hat and used a bullhorn to instruct and encourage other rioters, causing her to become known as "Pink Hat Lady" and "Bullhorn Lady". [2] [4] [9] She also destroyed a window, [5] [6] causing more than $1,000 in damage. [1]

Powell was arrested by the FBI on February 4, 2021. [9] Additionally, Powell's home in Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania, was raided by the FBI, [10] all of her weapons were confiscated, and she was placed under house arrest. [11] A Washington, D.C., federal judge later allowed Powell to be released on bail on the condition that she wear face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19, [8] [12] [13] which she violated by wearing a mesh mask. [14] [15] [16]

On April 5, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Powell on nine counts, comprising three felonies and six misdemeanors. On July 18, 2023, following a bench trial, Powell was found guilty of all charges, which included civil disorder and destruction of government property. [3] [17]

Sentencing

Federal prosecutors recommended a sentence of 96 months or eight years in prison, [5] [6] [7] describing Powell as a "leading participant in the most violent insurrection to occur at the U.S. Capitol in over 200 years". [1] Powell's attorney argued against jail time, pointing to her lack of a criminal record and the fact that she had not physically harmed anyone during the riot. [11]

Powell rejected a plea deal offered by prosecutors, which included a four-year prison sentence without the right of appeal and admitted to the charge of obstruction of justice. [9]

On October 17, 2023, Powell was sentenced to 57 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. [1] [6] She was also ordered to pay more than $8,000 in restitution, fines, and fees. [9] [17] [18] [19]

The day prior to starting her sentence, Powell told CNN: "I don't have remorse for attending protests; I don't have remorse for speaking out and saying that I believe that the election is stolen. I do have remorse for breaking a window and destroying my whole family's life, and for thinking irrationally." [9]

Incarceration

Powell began serving her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Hazelton, on January 9, 2024, three days after the third anniversary of the Capitol riot. [4]

Powell appealed her sentence; a resentencing date was set for January 6, 2025, the fourth anniversary of the Capitol riot, though was delayed due to weather. [20]

Release

On January 20, 2025, the first day of his second presidency, Trump pardoned Powell along with almost every other participant in the Capitol riot. [21] She was released from the D.C. Jail, a correctional facility in Washington, D.C., the following day. [22] Upon her release, Powell expressed regret for the violence on January 6, stating: "I feel like a fool because I walked into something unexpected. That doesn't excuse my behavior that day, but I can't go back. I can only go forward. Let's go forward as a country and heal." [23]

Other activity

On December 28, 2023, Powell posted a tweet that included a photo of her wearing an ankle monitor. The tweet, in which Powell complained about her prison sentence, was criticized by other Twitter users. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enrique Tarrio</span> American far-right activist (born 1984)

Henry "Enrique" Tarrio is an American convicted seditionist and far-right activist. From 2018 to 2021, he was the chairman of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States. Along with three other Proud Boys leaders, Tarrio was convicted in May 2023 of seditious conspiracy for his role in the 2021 United States Capitol attack. In September 2023, Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison, before being pardoned by US president Donald Trump following his return to office on January 20, 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Biggs</span> American felon and former Proud Boys organizer (born 1980s)

Joseph Randall Biggs is an American veteran, media personality, organizer of the Proud Boys, and was pardoned for his participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stewart Rhodes</span> Oath Keepers leader and January 6, 2021 seditionist (born 1966)

Elmer Stewart Rhodes III is an American former attorney and founder of the Oath Keepers, an American Far-Right Anti-Government Militia. In November 2022, he was convicted of seditious conspiracy and evidence tampering related to his participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack culminating at the main campus of the United States Capitol complex. On May 23, 2023, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison before having his sentence commuted to time served by President Donald Trump following his return to office on January 20, 2025. Rhodes was released from federal prison on January 21, 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">January 6 United States Capitol attack</span> 2021 attempt to prevent presidential electoral vote count

On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of then-president Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup d'état, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. They sought to keep him in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of the president-elect Joe Biden. The attack was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the certification of the election results. According to the bipartisan House select committee that investigated the incident, the attack was the culmination of a seven-part plan by Trump to overturn the election. Within 36 hours, five people died: one was shot by the Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes, including a police officer who died of natural causes a day after being assaulted by rioters. Many people were injured, including 174 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months. Damage caused by attackers exceeded $2.7 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derrick Evans (politician)</span> American politician (born 1985)

Jonathan Derrick Evans is an American far-right politician and convicted felon who served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for the 19th district from December 1, 2020, to January 9, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Chansley</span> QAnon and January 6 Capitol attack figure

Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley, also known as the QAnon Shaman, Q Shaman, and Yellowstone Wolf, is an American far-right conspiracy theorist who participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, for which he was convicted after a guilty plea on charges of obstructing an official proceeding. He is a supporter of Donald Trump and a former believer and disseminator of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominic Pezzola</span> American Proud Boy and convicted felon

Dominic Pezzola is an American convicted felon and member of the Proud Boys who participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, a violent attack at the U.S. Capitol. He is best known for stealing a police riot shield and using it to break a Capitol window on January 6, 2021, making him the first rioter to breach the building. Indicted in 2021, on federal charges, he was tried in 2023 alongside Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and his key lieutenants, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl. In May 2023, following a five-month jury trial, Pezzola was convicted of obstructing a congressional proceeding, assaulting a police officer, and other crimes. He was acquitted of seditious conspiracy, the most serious charge. The jury deadlocked on other charges against Pezzola, including conspiring to obstruct the counting of the electoral votes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack</span> List of people charged with crimes

The investigation of the rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol building was the largest criminal probe in U.S. history. Four years after the attack, everyone involved received clemency from President Donald Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Fanone</span> American retired police officer

Michael Fanone is an American law enforcement analyst, author, and retired policeman. He worked for the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia from 2001 until his retirement in 2021. Fanone was present at the U.S. Capitol during the January 2021 attack, and testified with his colleagues in front of the House Select Committee investigating the attack in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Meggs</span> American insurrectionist (born 1969)

Kelly Meggs is an American convicted felon who previously led the Oath Keepers' Florida chapter. He was found guilty of seditious conspiracy following his forced entry into the United States Capitol during the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Meggs was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Hours after his inauguration on 20 January 2025, Donald Trump commuted his sentence to time served.

Ronald Sandlin is an American internet marketer who took part in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Barnett (Capitol rioter)</span> American convicted for participating in Jan 6 Capitol riot

Richard Morris "Bigo" Barnett is an American who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. A photograph of Barnett with his feet on a desk in Nancy Pelosi’s office in the Capitol building became one of the most prominent images of the January 6 attack.

Christopher John Worrell is an American convicted felon and former fugitive who took part in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, for which he was serving a 10-year prison sentence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Christian Johnson</span> American Capitol rioter

Adam Christian Johnson, also known as the "Podium Guy" and "Via Getty", is an American who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. A photograph of Johnson carrying then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern became a prominent image of the attack.

Ryan Stephen Samsel is an American convicted criminal who participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. He was charged with several crimes, including forcibly assaulting federal officers; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; carrying out an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds; and obstruction of an official proceeding—the United States Congress’s efforts to certify the election results. Samsel has been in custody since his arrest; his bench trial began in October 2023. In February 2024, he was found guilty.

Guy Wesley Reffitt is an American convicted criminal and insurrectionist, who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. He was a member of the Three Percenters and was the first defendant to be convicted at trial for the attack.

Alan Hostetter is an American convicted felon, anti-lockdown activist and founder of the American Phoenix Project who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021.

Pamela Hemphill is an American former Trump supporter who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. She was nicknamed the "MAGA Granny" in reference to Trump's "make America great again" slogan by social media users following the attack.

Matthew Lawrence Perna was an American man who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Perna, aged 37, committed suicide in February 2022 while awaiting his sentencing on charges of witness tampering, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and two counts of disorderly conduct.

On January 20, 2025, during the first day of his second term, United States President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that granted clemency to about 1,200 people convicted of offenses related to the January 6 United States Capitol attack that occurred near the end of his first presidential term.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bartos, Madeine (October 17, 2023). ""Bullhorn Lady" Rachel Powell sentenced to nearly 5 years on Jan. 6 charges". Washington, D.C.: CBS News . Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Farrow, Ronan (February 1, 2021). "A Pennsylvania Mother's Path to Insurrection". The New Yorker . Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Rachel Powell: Pennsylvania woman who used bullhorn to direct Capitol rioters convicted of Jan. 6 charges". CBS News. July 18, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Bond, Paul (January 6, 2024). "Meet The 'Pink Hat Lady' of the Capitol Riot: 'It Was Like War'". Newsweek . Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Reilly, Ryan J. (October 12, 2023). "Feds seek 8 years for 'Bullhorn Lady' who smashed a Capitol window during Jan. 6 attack". Washington, D.C.: NBC News . Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Reilly, Ryan J. (October 17, 2023). "Jan. 6 rioter who smashed window and received signed Trump hat is sentenced to more than 4 years". Washington, D.C.: NBC News . Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Nguyen, Alex (October 17, 2023). "Rachel Powell, Jan. 6 'Bullhorn Lady,' Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison" . The Daily Beast . Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Grandahl, Rebecca; Polantz, Katelyn; Murphy, Paul P. (February 11, 2021). "Woman who allegedly broke a Capitol window with a battering ram will be released from jail pending trial, judge rules". CNN . Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Phillips, Aleks (January 10, 2024). "Teary-Eyed January 6 'Bullhorn Lady' Admits 'I Destroyed Everything'". Newsweek . Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  10. ↑ "FBI Raids Home Of Rachel Powell, Mercer County Mother Of 8 Suspected In Capitol Attack". Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania: CBS News. Associated Press. February 7, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "'Bullhorn Lady' Rachel Powell, Mercer Co. Woman Arrested For Role In Capitol Riot, Released From Jail Pending Upcoming Trial". Butler, Pennsylvania: CBS News. February 12, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  12. ↑ Rohrlich, Justin (February 11, 2021). "Judge to Bullhorn Mom: You're 'So Unpatriotic It Makes My Straight Hair Curl'" . The Daily Beast . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  13. ↑ Gerstein, Julie (February 12, 2021). "Judge tells Capitol siege 'bullhorn lady' she's 'so unpatriotic it makes my straight hair curl'". Business Insider . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  14. ↑ Hsu, Spencer S. (April 16, 2021). "Pa. woman charged in Capitol riot may face jail after allegedly flouting court order to wear mask" . The Washington Post . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  15. ↑ Perrett, Connor (April 10, 2021). "Capitol riot 'bullhorn lady' appeared in a video to wear a useless mesh mask after a judge ordered her to wear one as a part of her release". Business Insider . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  16. ↑ Ove, Torsten (April 18, 2021). "Accused 'bullhorn lady' Capitol rioter in trouble with U.S. judge over mask" . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Pennsylvania Woman Sentenced on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach". United States Department of Justice. October 17, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  18. ↑ Levenson, Michael (October 17, 2023). "Woman Who Used Bullhorn to Rally Rioters on Jan. 6 Gets Nearly 5 Years" . The New York Times . Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  19. ↑ Guza, Megan (October 17, 2023). "'Pink Hat Lady' from Mercer County sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for role in Capitol riot" . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  20. ↑ Stone, Laurel (January 6, 2025). "4 years later: Where local Jan. 6 cases stand". WKBN . Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  21. ↑ Guza, Megan (January 20, 2025). "Western Pennsylvanians connected to attack on Capitol pardoned in sweeping Trump order". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  22. ↑ Morgan, Josh (January 21, 2025). "Jan. 6 rioters go free after Trump pardons". USA Today . Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  23. ↑ Sheehan, Andy (January 21, 2025). ""Bullhorn Lady" Rachel Powell released from prison after January 6 pardons from President Trump". Washington, D.C.: CBS News . Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  24. ↑ Ettinger, Marlon (December 28, 2023). "January 6th ice pick rioter posts ankle bracelet photo, complains about her 51-month sentence". The Daily Dot . Retrieved December 29, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.