Former Cleveland teacher asks for mercy on eve of sentencing for role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Описание: Former teacher Christine Priola says Jan. 6, 2021 was the day that changed her life forever.

The Willoughby resident and one-time Cleveland Metropolitan School District therapist is hoping that a 10-page letter sent to U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan will help her get a more lenient sentence Friday for her involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

In July, the 50-year-old Priola pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding. She faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.

According to court documents, Priola was spotted making her way to the U.S. Capitol grounds while carrying a large sign expressing her views before illegally entering the restricted area on the east side of the Capitol Building.

After joining the front line of the riot in support of former President Donald Trump, Priola is alleged to have climbed the steps before entering the Capitol Building through the East Rotunda Doors. Shortly after the first rioters overcame law enforcement officers guarding the entrance, she went inside and moved to the Senate chamber and entered the restricted floor area.

Inside the chamber, she carried the same sign she was spotted carrying outside. She was in the Senate chamber for about 10 minutes and inside the Capitol Building for approximately 30 minutes.

Priola is also alleged to have deleted her data for photos, videos, chats, and messages from her cellphone from approximately Jan. 4 through Jan. 7, 2021.

In the letter to Judge Chutkan, the former Cleveland employee Priola writes, "At the beginning, I used to think, 'I wish that I had food poisoning that day' or 'I wish that I had a broken leg that day." ...so she would have avoided committing a crime.

Now she's claiming full responsibility and asking the judge for mercy ahead of her Friday's sentencing.

Priola goes on to write that she had turned to news and politics to excessively fill a void. "I began to realize I had been trying to fill a void from the sadness and extra time on my hands due to my daughter moving out and the confusion and loss I felt with my biological father dying."

Bri Buckley reports: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/cri... --

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