Grandmother who took part in Capitol riot pleads for leniency saying she is 'horrified' by violence

The woman said she watched movies like Schindler’s List and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee to better understand the hardships facing Jews and Americans who are not white

Anna Morgan Lloyd, a 49-year-old grandmother who participated in the Capitol riot (Greene County Sheriff’s Office)

A 49-year-old grandmother who participated in the Capitol riot told a judge that she was "horrified" by the violent images of insurrectionists on 6 January in an attempt to gain a lighter sentence.

Anna Morgan Lloyd was arrested in February after she and a friend, Dona Bissey, posted a picture of themselves on Facebook bragging that they had entered the US Capitol during the insurrection.

Shortly after the event she described the attack as the "best f****** day ever” and that she and her friend were one of the first 50 people inside the building. However, her tone was markedly different as she pleaded for a lighter sentence for a judge.

Ms Lloyd said that "though she supported the past president in January, she totally accepts President Biden as the leader of our country" and that she "respects the rule of law”.

She also said she watched movies and read books including Schindler's List, Just Mercy and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee to educated herself on the plight of European Jews, Black Americans and Native Americans.

"I’ve lived a sheltered life and truly haven’t experienced life the way many have. I don’t live a pampered life. My husband and I have worked hard for everything that we have. My lawyer has given me names of books and movies to help me see what life is like for others in our country," she said.

She said that she "learned that even though we live in a wonderful country things still need to improve" and that "people of all colors should feel as safe as I do to walk down the street."

Ms Lloyd was arrested on charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or ground without lawful authority, violent entry, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

The maximum penalty she could have faced was 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

Prosecutors have agreed to a sentence of a $500 fine and 40 hours of community service.

"She acknowledges that her presence may have given comfort to those who committed acts of violence," her lawyer said.

Her defense team said that "though she did not defile or destroy any property" she "understood the destruction and lawlessness of many who entered the US capitol" and was "contrite and remorseful."

Ms Lloyd was recognised and arrested after she went to the Greene County Sheriff's Office on 22 January to apply for a gun permit.