Lake in the Hills woman charged in connection with US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021
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A Lake in the Hills woman is the 41st Illinoisan to be arrested in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as part of what federal prosecutors have called one of the most expansive criminal investigations in the nation’s history.
According to court records made public Wednesday, Nhi Ngoc Mai Le, 26, discussed her opposition to communism in Vietnam and her plans to “(contribute) a small part ... to save America,” which she called her “second home and paradise” in social media posts written in Vietnamese in the days preceding the attack.
A Sept. 6 criminal complaint quotes a Facebook post in which Le wrote that “a free country is under attack by underground forces” before saying she planned to travel to Georgia for a rally with then-President Donald Trump and then on to Washington, D.C.
“As much as you love the country, you hate the communists,” she wrote.
She surrendered to federal authorities Sept. 8, according to a federal court docket.
The criminal complaint states Le originally denied entering the U.S. Capitol in an April 2021 interview, but said in a subsequent February 2022 interview that she had entered the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The complaint cites video footage from the U.S. Capitol that shows Le sitting on a railing outside the building and encouraging rioters to enter the Capitol. She is later seen inside the building.
It also details Facebook messages and videos sent between Le and others in which Le allegedly said she had climbed a wall to access the Capitol, went inside the building and had been pepper-sprayed. According to the complaint, the videos Le sent in the chats show her inside the Capitol.
The complaint also details Le’s Facebook posts calling on viewers to remember Jan. 6 as a historic day.
“Proud to be a Trump Supporter, remember today’s historic event January 6th,” Le wrote. “It was a pleasure to meet so many very enthusiastic brothers from all over the United States.”
Le faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila Finnegan ordered Le released on bond, records show.
