Deborah Sandoval, Restricted Building Entry, Washington 2021

An Iowa woman is set to spend time behind bars for her role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach.

Deborah Sandoval, 56, of Ankeny, Iowa, was sentenced to five months in prison for entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds on January 6, 2021, in Washington D.C.

The five months in prison is the culmination of an investigation that involved the FBI’s Omaha Field Office and Washington Field Office, among others. In addition to the term of incarceration, U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s predecessor, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, ordered 12 months of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $500 to be paid to the Architect of the Capitol, and a $25 mandatory assessment.

Sandoval’s actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

According to the agreed statement of offense for the plea, Sandoval was present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Prior to traveling to Washington, D.C., Sandoval sent private messages detailing her plans to travel to Washington, D.C., and indicating that she knew it could get violent.

After attending former President Trump’s rally at the Washington Monument, Sandoval entered the restricted area around the Capitol. By the time of her entry into the Capitol building, the Senate Wing Door had been forced open by rioters, and the corridor near the door had been overrun. Shortly after her entry into the Capitol building, Sandoval can be seen and heard on a video encouraging violence towards, Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House.

Sandoval then remained in the Capitol building for a total of approximately 24 minutes before she left out of the Senate Wing Doors. In the days and weeks following January 6, 2021, Sandoval sent a number of messages on her phone and through social media describing her conduct on January 6, 2021. She also sent a message to a friend on Facebook inquiring about deleting pictures from the Capitol, including her previous trips to Washington, D.C.

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