KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A federal judge sentenced a Leavenworth, Kansas, woman Wednesday to two years of probation for her role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
In the ruling, Judge Carl J. Nichols sentenced Jennifer Parks, 61, two 24 months of probation, 60 hours of community service and a $500 fine for a misdemeanor charge of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Parks had reached a plea agreement in September that dismissed three other charges that she, along with fellow Leavenworth resident Esther Schwemmer, faced in connection to the riots.
Federal prosecutors were seeking a sentence of 30 days home detention and three years of probation ahead of Wednesday’s ruling. Parks’ attorneys, meanwhile, had argued for just for a 12-month probation sentence.
In a sentencing memorandum submitted earlier this month, Parks’ attorney Maria Jacob said her client, 61, had lived a “simple, law abiding life” prior to her role in the Jan. 6 riots. She added that Parks was “among the least culpable group of defendants” that stormed the U.S. Capitol building.
The memorandum included a letter from Parks:
“If I could have that day back, I would not have gone to Washington, D.C., and I certainly would not have gone into the Capitol building. I sincerely apologize for my actions. I believe I am wiser and more discerning now than I was then and will spend years trying to make it up to the people I’ve disappointed,” Parks wrote.
Schwemmer is set for sentencing at 10 a.m. on Dec. 21.
