Massachusetts Woman Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During Capitol Breach

Capitol Breach: Massachusetts Woman Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement

A 70-year-old Massachusetts woman has pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Jacquelyn Starer, of Ashland, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to an eight-count indictment, charging her with two felony counts of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.

According to court documents, Starer traveled from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C, and attended the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse. After the rally, Starer made her way to the Capitol building and entered via the East Rotunda Doors at approximately 2:51 p.m.

At approximately 2:59 p.m., court documents say Starer moved through the crowd and to the front of the police line. Starer approached the officers, pushed up against another rioter with outstretched arms, and pointed her finger in the direction of the officers. Starer then grabbed the arm of the rioter with outstretched arms and pushed it down. She then turned to face the rioter and was pushed back by a police officer.

Starer then struck the officer with her closed fist. Starer then moved away from the officers and stepped towards them again, moving her hands toward the police, yelling, “F— b—!”

Starer was arrested by the FBI on Dec. 20, 2022, in Ashland. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly will sentence Starer on Sept. 5, 2024.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The FBI’s Boston and Washington Field Offices, along with the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Ashland, Massachusetts, Police Department, provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

The breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, resulted in the disruption of a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election. In the 39 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,385 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.