US Court allows Capitol riot suspect to vacation in Mexico

A woman accused of participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol asked a federal judge for permission to leave the country on vacation later this month – and got it.

In a Monday court filing, lawyers for Jenny Louise Cudd requested the court’s blessing to travel to Mexico’s Riviera Maya from Feb. 18-21 for a prepaid “work-related bonding retreat” with her employees and their spouses.

Cudd, a small business owner in Midland, Texas, is currently on pretrial release after being charged with two misdemeanor offenses, including entering a federal building without permission and engaging in disorderly conduct.

The filing, obtained by USA TODAY, noted that Cudd has no prior criminal history and has remained in contact with her attorney and pretrial service officer, who had no objection to her proposed travel plan. Prosecutors took “no position” on the request.

A U.S. magistrate approved the request, ordering that her pretrial travel restrictions to be amended to allow the four-day trip.

Under the conditions of her release, she is not allowed to travel to Washington unless it is for a court appearance or a meeting with her attorneys or pretrial services officer.

Cudd was one of many who confirmed participation in the riot on social media, saying in a Facebook video that, “I was here today on Jan. 6th when the new revolution started at the Capitol.”

The FBI said her videos and photos placed her in the Capitol during the riot.

After an inflammatory speech by then-President Donald Trump outside the White House, rioters stormed the Capitol, intent on stopping Vice President Mike Pence and Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote declaring Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

She added: “This is all raw and I’m going to be swearing. I’m so (expletive) mad, I can’t even see straight and my heart breaks for my country.”

In an interview with Texas ABC affiliate NewsWest 9, she denied any wrongdoing, saying, “I went inside the Capitol completely legally and I did not do anything to hurt anybody or destroy any property.” She also said she did not have any weapons or ammunition with her in the Capitol.

The viral videos resulted in negative attention for her floral business, Becky’s Flowers.

Cudd told the ABC affiliate that she’d received “seven different death threats” and her business received 500 negative reviews on Google from across the country rather than from local patrons.

“So what they’re trying to do is cancel me because I stood up for what I believe in and I can tell you this it’s – and it’s what I’ve told everybody – I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Cudd said.

Source: USA TODAY

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