A conservative social media influencer has been charged with storming the U.S. Capitol and passing a stolen table out of a broken window, allowing other rioters to use it as a weapon against police, according to court records unsealed on Monday.
Isabella Maria DeLuca was arrested last Friday in Irvine, California, on misdemeanor charges, including theft of government property, disorderly conduct and entering a restricted area.
DeLuca, who has about 335,000 followers on the platform formerly known as Twitter, is a former congressional intern who works as a media associate for The Gold Institute for International Strategy. DeLuca's profile on the institute's website says she served as an ambassador for the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA.
DeLuca, who also has more than 125,000 followers on Instagram, also interned for former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, both of whom are Republicans who have supported former President Donald Trump.
DeLuca, 24, of Setauket, New York, didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Online court records don't list an attorney representing her. A spokesperson for the Gold Institute for International Strategy said it learned Monday that DeLuca - who was hired in an unpaid position to update the organization's social media presence - was facing criminal charges and said, "following further internal investigation, we felt it necessary to sever our relationship."
On January 5, 2021, DeLuca's Amtrak train broke down near Baltimore, and, according to court records, messaged others on Instagram, "My train isn't working" and "I need a ride to dc."
An image of the Instagram post was included in the affidavit.
During the Jan. 6 riot, DeLuca replied to a Twitter post by writing, "Fight back or let politicians steal and election? Fight back!"
Videos captured her entering a suite of conference rooms inside the Capitol through a broken window on the Lower West Terrace. She passed a table out of the window and then climbed back outside through the same window. A table that another rioter threw at police resembled the one that DeLuca passed out the window, according to an FBI agent's affidavit, which included more than a dozen images showing DeLuca at the Capitol.
DeLuca posted about the riot for days after the Jan. 6 attack. When an Instagram user asked her why she supported breaking into the Capitol, she responded, "According to the constitution it's our house."
Several days later, she posted on social media that she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and had "mixed feelings."
"Citizens gathered at the Capitol building because that's Our House and the place where we voice our grievances. Many of us believe, as I do, that an election was unfairly taken away from us and no action was taken," she expressed.
During the FBI's interrogation about two weeks post the Capitol incident, DeLuca denied her presence inside the building on January 6, according to the agent's statement.
DeLuca also admitted to removing Instagram posts from her account right after January 6, as per the affidavit. The agent mentioned, "Based on my expertise, individuals who engage in criminal activities often delete any related content from their social media profiles to evade a potential investigation."
More than 1,300 individuals have faced charges linked to the Capitol riot. Out of them, over 800 have received sentences, with about two-thirds receiving jail terms ranging from a few days to 22 years.
A recent video obtained by CBS News displays a group of individuals setting up the infamous gallows and noose on the west front of the Capitol before the siege. Despite reviewing the charging documents in the around 1,300 federal criminal cases related to January 6, the Justice Department has not filed any case accusing a defendant of involvement in constructing the gallows.
