FBI: Spotted at Capitol riot on Facebook, Connecticut mom and daughter charged
A mother and daughter from Canterbury were charged Tuesday in connection with their role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, federal authorities said.
Jean Lavin, 56, and her daughter, Carla Krzywicki, 19, were taken into custody on a number of charges, including parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
In a statement of facts filed in their case, an FBI agent received a tip that Lavin and Krzywicki were inside the building during the riot.
The FBI also reviewed a Facebook post made by Krzywicki that showed her and her mother outside the U.S. Capitol and then showed a group of people inside the building, according to the court records.
FBI agents then found numerous surveillance videos showing the mother and daughter inside the Capitol building with other rioters, records show.
Investigators wrote in the statement of facts that Lavin was seen on surveillance video carrying a sign that read “Trump Won” and “Don’t allow 7 states of cheaters to hijack our election!” Both Lavin and Krzywicki were wearing articles of clothing that read “Trump,” records show.
An agent interviewed Lavin, who said she and her daughter had been in the Capitol building for less than an hour, left briefly and then returned for 20 minutes, records show.
She said the pair had gone into the building out of “curiosity,” the records read.
The two had traveled to Washington on a bus from Norwich that was organized by a local Facebook group, according to the statement of facts. They missed then President Donald Trump’s speech because the bus driver had gotten lost in New York City, records show.
Krzywicki told federal investigators a similar story, saying the pair had finally decided to leave because Lavin had fallen inside the building.
Krzywicki acknowledged she posted on Facebook about the event, but later deleted it because she felt it was a bad idea to leave the post up, the records show.
Lavin told investigators she did not post any photos to social media, but may have shared some with friends, according to court records.
Both were released without bond after a hearing Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. The case has been transferred to the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, where they will appear for a virtual hearing on Sept. 21.
The charges against Krzywicki and Lavin have come amid months of investigating the Capitol riots, in which investigators, often relying on tips, social media posts and surveillance video, have made dozens of arrests.
Four other Connecticut residents have been charged in connection with the Capitol riots. Richard T. Crosby Jr., 25, of Harwinton; Patrick McCaughey III, 23, of Ridgefield, and Victoria Bergeson and Maurcio Mendez, of Groton, were charged following the riot.