WASHINGTON, D.C. – Federal prosecutors are seeking prison time for a St. Cloud woman’s actions during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Leslie Gray, 57, was arrested by FBI agents in June 2022.
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Federal prosecutors claimed Gray was a member of the far right group, The Oath Keepers and took videos inside the Capitol.
They said she was heard saying in one video, “I am in Congress. This is our house. This is our house! … I don’t know what we are doing now but we are in here. We’ve taken it.”
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Gray was originally indicted on 11 criminal charges but as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, she pleaded guilty in June to one charge of aiding and abetting in the obstruction of an official proceeding.
According to documents filed on Thursday in Washington, D.C., federal court, federal prosecutors asked a judge to sentence Gray to 18 months in prison, 36 months supervised release and $2,000 to be paid in restitution.
“On January 6, Gray entered the Restricted Area of the Capitol Grounds, where she unleashed a constant barrage of profanity, name calling, and baseless accusations upon officers working to protect the Capitol,” the government’s court pleading read. “Along with the mob on the east side of the Capitol, Gray then pushed forward past manned barricades and into the Capitol Building. Once inside, Gray continued her unrelenting verbal assault on police officers, calling them traitors and communists, among other things. She claimed the Capitol Building was hers and pushed past police officers who were trying to secure the building. Gray only left when she was physically forced out of the building by a police officer after resisting his verbal commands to leave.”
Gray’s attorney, Dennis A. O’Brien, Jr., asked the court for a much lighter sentence, citing her ailing health, her husband’s ailing health, and her lack of a criminal history.
“Leslie intended to lawfully exercise her 1st Amendment rights the same way citizens do daily in our country,” O’Brien wrote. “Sadly, Leslie did not do that. Leslie understands that she will forever be a convicted criminal. Whatever sentence this Court imposes, it will eventually run. However, her conviction will remain. To a woman like Leslie, a conviction is a sentence that will never expire.”
Gray is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, Sept. 28.
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