Department of Justice
- Joshua and Jessica Bustle pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count in connection to the Capitol riot.
- Jessica Bustle's Facebook posts about the riot were included in the criminal complaint.
- The couple faces a maximum sentence of up to six months in prison.
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A Virginia woman who wrote at length about storming the Capitol in Facebook posts after the January 6 insurrection has taken a plea deal, along with her realtor husband.
Department of Justice
Joshua and Jessica Bustle appeared virtually in court before US District Judge Thomas Hogan Monday afternoon, changing their original pleas from not guilty to guilty, according to WUSA9.
Prosecutors dropped three of the four misdemeanor charges against the couple, leaving only one charge of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building – a charge that has a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
The defense requested that the judge sentence the couple immediately, but Hogan ordered a sentencing report to be completed first.
"I'm not prepared to do sentencing today. I think we have to look at the case a little bit," Hogan said, according to The Daily Beast.
The Bustles are only the third and fourth accused Capitol rioters to plead guilty.
When the couple were first charged in March, prosecutors detailed in their criminal complaint how Jessica Bustle documented the day on social media.
In a lengthy Facebook post, Jessica said she and her husband spent most of the day at the Health Freedom Rally - a protest that featured anti-vaccine activists - before heading to the Capitol, and walking into the building.
Despite footage of clashes between protesters and the Capitol police, Jessica wrote that there was "no violence" and pushed the unfounded theory that "antifa puppets infiltrated the rally."
Department of Justice
She also wrote about witnessing "an unarmed peaceful woman" being "shot" in the neck "by cops," an apparent reference to the protester Ashli Babbitt's death.
Speaking in court on Monday, Jessica said the Facebook posts included in the criminal complaint only showed one side of her.
"I'm admitting guilt to the things that I said, and I'm sorry for saying them. There were also other things that were said in posts that were kind, like 'Pray for America,' that weren't included. Those weren't the full things that I wrote. But I am admitting guilt," she said, according to The Washington Post.
As part of the couple's plea agreement, the Bustles each face the possibility of prison time, and a fine of up to $5,000, according to The Daily Beast. They have also agreed to pay restitution of $500 each.
Jessica's attorney Nabeel Kibria told The Post that the couple just want to get on with their lives.
"They're just a good, salt-of-the-earth couple ... They were into social media before, and realize all the pitfalls of that and want to put this in their past," Kibria said.
