TAMPA (WFLA) – A Polk County woman, charged in the Jan. 6 sacking of the U.S. Capitol, called the insurrection a “peaceful protest” in social media posts the day of the assault that killed five people and injured 140 others, according to a court document.
Corinne Lee Montoni, 31, of Lakeland, was arrested Tuesday morning at her home and now faces federal charges for obstruction of an official proceeding, entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
She is the 25th Floridian charged in connection with the attack that disrupted a congressional hearing to certify the Electoral College count for the 2020 Presidential Election.
According to the complaint against Montoni, a tip to tips.fbi.gov led federal agents to a number of incriminating social media posts.
“We tried going to the courts. We tried showing evidence,” Montoni wrote on Instagram and Facebook on Jan. 6, according to the complaint. “We tried the nice and legal way but when corruption runs so deep for so long, that doesn’t work.”
Montoni also offered a characterization of the deadly day.
“We broke a few windows, sure but we were a peaceful protest occupying the people’s property,” she wrote.
Montoni added, “Trump is our leader. This is not over yet.”
“January 6th is the day to keep an eye on and if that doesn’t work,” she wrote. “We will be back in D.C. on the 20th [the day of the Presidential inauguration] letting the world know we REJECT progressive liberalism.”
Social media records also include several videos of “Montoni in and around the Capitol building on or about January 6,” the complaint states.
Montoni was in Tampa federal court for her initial appearance on the day she was arrested. Her attorney Paul Showalter told the court she had been aware of the charges for some time and was not a flight risk.
Montoni was released on a $25,000 signature bond and is scheduled to appear before a Washington, D.C. based judge on Monday via Zoom.
