Ross woman charged with entering U.S. Capitol in riot
A Ross woman has been charged with entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots and engaging in “disruptive conduct” and other offenses.
Jennifer Heinl, 55, was charged in an FBI complaint filed Wednesday in the District of Columbia and unsealed Thursday after her arrest by FBI agents in Pittsburgh. According to an affidavit, agents reviewing Capitol security footage from inside the Capitol Rotunda saw a woman wearing a red, longsleeved jersey bearing “Trump 20” on the back and a black hat with lettering on the front.
The woman was seen inside the Rotunda as well as inside the Capitol Crypt and other restricted areas.
The FBI identified the woman as Ms. Heinl through her association with Kenneth Grayson, who is seen in videos standing next to and talking to Ms. Heinl inside the Rotunda. Mr. Grayson, of Bridgeville, had been previously charged in connection with the insurrection.
A review of Mr. Grayson’s Facebook page revealed communications between Mr. Grayson and Ms. Heinl on Facebook Messenger from Nov. 12, 2020, to Jan. 11, 2021. The discussions were about traveling to Washington and renting vehicles and hotel rooms. Mr. Grayson was arrested in Pennsylvania on Jan. 26.
Two days later, on Jan. 28, Pittsburgh FBI agents interviewed Ms. Heinl by phone about her association with Mr. Grayson.
Ms. Heinl said she and Mr. Grayson had “fallen out of touch” and that while she was not sure when she last spoke to Mr. Grayson, the last time they communicated was via Facebook Messenger.
Ms. Heinl said that she traveled to Washington on Jan. 5 and came home to Pittsburgh the following day, the affidavit states. She said she stayed in a “Courtyard” hotel and that it was not the same hotel in which Mr. Grayson stayed.
Ms. Heinl also said she drove alone to the Trump rally and did not take anyone with her. She said she saw Mr. Grayson at a rally on Jan. 6 but denied entering the U.S. Capitol on that day.
Agents said they interviewed a witness last month who knows
Ms. Heinl. The witness said he or she was not aware of Ms. Heinl traveling to the Capitol but identified her from Capitol footage images, the FBI said.
Based on the evidence, the affidavit states, “there is probable cause to believe that Heinl was present inside theU.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, during the riot and related offenses that occurred at the U.S. Capitol Building.”
She is charged with entering or remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol. All are misdemeanor offenses.
After a hearing by video Thursday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Pupo Lenihan in Pittsburgh released Ms. Heinl on a $10,000 bond. As part of the conditions, she cannot have access to guns. The judge noted that Ms. Heinl’s husband is in law enforcement and has a gun, so he agreed to keep it in a lock-box in his truck and not in the couple’s house.
Ms. Heinl will be arraigned March 24.