(LifeSiteNews) — Simone Gold, M.D., J.D., founder of the advocacy group America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLD), was sentenced Thursday to 60 days in prison for being present during the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Gold, a former emergency room doctor and an early opponent of draconian COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates, was charged with one misdemeanor count of “entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds” for being in the U.S. Capitol building as protesters objected to the certification of the 2020 election and some engaged in violence and property damage.
Gold’s attorney, Kira Anne West, stated that her client pleaded guilty to standing “with a crowd outside the East Rotunda door, where she eventually entered shortly after about 2:27 p.m. along with her co-defendant John Strand. She remained inside the Capitol for a little over half an hour. Around 2:55 p.m., she gave a speech at Statuary Hall stating her opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and government-imposed lockdowns,” MedPage reported.
In addition to being sentenced to 60 days behind bars, Gold also faces 12 months of supervised release and $9,500 in fines, which CNN noted is “the largest fine imposed to date among the almost 200 rioters who have been sentenced.”