Olyphant woman's Jan. 6 trial scheduled for May

Borys Krawczeniuk, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·2 min read

Nov. 18—The Olyphant woman accused of playing a role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is scheduled to stand trial in May.

During a status conference Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui set the trial for Deborah Lynn Lee for May 22 at 9 a.m. Unlike all hearings and status conferences so far in the case, the trial will take place in person in a Washington, D.C., federal courtroom.

Faruqui will rule on Lee's guilt or innocence because she chose against empaneling a jury to decide her case, according to the federal court docket.

Lee, 56, is charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol.

The FBI alleges Lee and hundreds of others broke into the Capitol illegally on Jan. 6, 2021, and she and a mob tried to storm the U.S. House chambers.

"I'm live. I'm at the Capitol doors. We're all the way inside the building. We're trying to get in. We got the glass broken," Lee said in a video posted on her Facebook account, according to the federal complaint. "I broke into congress (sic) and there were guns on us," she wrote in private messages to other Facebook users. "It's our house. Our capital (sic). We had every right to occupy."

The House was closed to the public that day as Congress gathered to certify the election of Scranton native Joe Biden as president. The riot delayed the certification until the early morning hours of the following day.

Lee is one of four residents of Lackawanna or Luzerne counties charged in the riot.

Michael Rusyn, an Olyphant volunteer firefighter who accompanied Lee into the Capitol, pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol and was sentenced in January to 60 days of home confinement.

Former Old Forge School Director Frank Scavo pleaded guilty to the same count and served 60 days in a federal prison after pleading guilty.

Annie C. Howell of Swoyersville pleaded guilty to trespassing on restricted property and was sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years probation.

Lee, who has rejected offers of a plea bargain, remains free on her own recognizance.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter.