The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking a four-month prison term for Victoria Charity White, the Minnesota woman who was beaten in the head, neck, and face nearly 40 times by Metropolitan Police Department officers on Jan. 6, 2021.
“White continued to forcefully push through the crowd with the unmistakable objective of entering the violent fray in the tunnel,” prosecutors wrote in the 26-page document. “As she moved towards her goal, she hoisted another rioter up and over the crowd—cheering as he swung himself from the tunnel’s archway and used his feet to kick at the officers inside.”
Ms. White, 41, of Rochester, Minn., accepted a plea deal for a single felony charge of civil disorder, which carries potential prison time of five years. She will be sentenced in Washington on Nov. 20 in Judge Bates’ courtroom.
Aside from incarceration, prosecutors recommended three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution.
She was repeatedly maced. By the time she was led from the back of the tunnel, her blue jeans had somehow been pulled down, exposing her posterior. Ms. White earlier expressed fears she could have been sexually assaulted during the melee.
“White successfully forced herself past the initial line of officers at the mouth of the tunnel, only to find herself confronted with dozens more officers inside,” the sentencing memo said. “Once she reached this point, White pushed against the walls, the officers, and their shields; another officer used a baton to get her to stop.
Speared, Struck, Punched
In a series of interviews with The Epoch Times since early 2022, Ms. White said the only reason she placed hands on officers’ riot shields was to prevent herself from ending up on the ground as she was shoved and batted about.When he released previously court-sealed security video from the tunnel, Ms. White’s then-attorney, Joseph D. McBride, called for a grand jury to investigate her beating and the beating of Rosanne Boyland by MPD Officer Lila Morris.
“That [Commander Bagshaw] is somebody who’s not only acting with authority but is acting with license,” Mr. McBride said. “That is somebody who is acting because he has no fear that he’s going to be reprimanded for his actions. Do I think that’s criminal? There is no doubt in my mind that what that man did was criminal.”
The bodycam of an officer standing on the ledge showed Commander Bagshaw’s closed fist as he repeatedly punched Ms. White with his left hand. She was visible only briefly, but previously released overhead security camera footage captured the punches to Ms. White’s head and face.
Another bodycam from an officer farther ahead in the tunnel shows a man in the corner who begged police not to strike Ms. White just as Commander Bagshaw began punching her.
At 4:09 p.m., the man said: “No, no, no, please! Please don’t beat her,” according to the video. Two minutes later, as police shouted at him to “move it, keep walking!” the man replied, “No! You’re going to kill her!”
Prosecutors acknowledged that Ms. White earlier tried to stop a rioter armed with a wooden bat from smashing a window adjacent to the tunnel. They argued Ms. White has never expressed any remorse for her actions at the Capitol.
“Almost immediately after her release, White began to make statements on social media in which she expressed pride for taking part in the riot, and she blamed police for using force against the rioters,” prosecutors wrote. “To this day, she has expressed no remorse for her actions on January 6.”
Ms. White’s attorney argued in favor of three months of home detention and 24 months of supervised release.
Troubled Past
Ms. White’s sentencing memo said she grew up in a broken home. Her father and mother both abandoned her as a child, leaving her care to a sister who was still a minor.Prosecutors described Ms. White as having a “significant criminal history,” including driving while impaired, damage to property, and misdemeanor assault. Their summary, however, did not mention the life-threatening domestic abuse she suffered for years at the hands of her now ex-husband.
“White suffered numerous injuries that required medical treatment, including a broken foot and skull fracture,” her sentencing memo said. “Eventually, White was able to end the relationship and obtain a 50-year protective order. White has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, which she manages with medication.”
In interviews with The Epoch Times, Ms. White said being struck in the head by police on Jan. 6 gave her flashbacks of the beatings she received from her husband over a 10-year period. She shared graphic photographs from some of her hospital visits that showed blood running down her face from a skull fracture.
